Department for Transport

Travel: Gender Based Violence

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) the two new Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions who were announced in July 2021 have produced independent recommendations for his Department, as the Government committed would happen by January 2022 and (b) those recommendations will be published.

Trudy Harrison: The DFT’s Violence Against Women and Girls Champions are still working on their independent recommendations. These recommendations will be published shortly.

Package Holidays: Repayments

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, *if he will take steps ensure that passengers can access refunds for their package holidays, in the event that the travel company they booked with no longer holds an ATOL licence.

Robert Courts: ATOL provides insolvency protection for flight inclusive package holidays sold in the UK. Any travel providers that sell these holidays are required by law to hold an ATOL licence, unless they are exempt. Consumers that purchase an ATOL protected holiday are entitled to apply for a refund should their travel provider become insolvent. If they are on holiday at the time of failure, the CAA will assist the consumer with their repatriation to the UK if needed.

Aviation: Crew

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the British Airline Pilots’ Association on the future of pilot and engineer licences following the UK's departure from the EU.

Robert Courts: We are aware of the British Airline Pilots Association’s (BALPA) interest in the future of pilot and engineer licences, and have communicated our current position to BALPA. In particular, we have made clear that that the UK will continue to engage with the EU and EASA on future areas of safety cooperation, where it can support industry while also aligning with our Governmental objectives. However, this must be understood in the context of EU exit allowing us to take control of UK licences, and seize opportunities that can support the UK and our vital aviation sector. BALPA is invited to regular industry engagement organised by the department to discuss issues including our international engagement.

Aviation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the ability of the airline sector to meet summer season demand in the context of post-Brexit restrictions.

Robert Courts: It is for UK and EU airlines to assess market demand for air services and respond accordingly. The UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement does not restrict air services between the UK and the EU and it enables airlines to lease additional capacity to meet demand if required.

Heathrow Airport

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of flights arriving at Heathrow airport carrying freight but with less than 20 per cent passenger capacity in the last 12 months.

Robert Courts: Data on commercial flight operations is collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and is currently complete and held by the Department until the end of September 2021. In the last 12 months where data is available (October 2020 to September 2021), the number of passenger flights arriving at London Heathrow airport which carried freight and were operating with less than 20% of their available seats filled was 6,620. This figure includes international and domestic arrivals on scheduled and chartered passenger services. “Freight” excludes mail, and cargo-only services are not included. Flights may operate with a low number of passengers for a range of reasons. For the period between October 2020 and September 2021 the normal slot regulations that require airlines to operate 80% of their slots in order to retain them for the following season were completely suspended. This means that airlines have not been required to operate empty or almost empty flights solely to retain their historic slots rights.

Travel: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to assess the recovery of the travel sector from the covid-19 outbreak.

Robert Courts: Since the international travel changes implemented on 11 February, the UK now has one of the most open and streamlined COVID-19 border regimes in the world. While the recovery has begun, many challenges remain. That is why, in addition to the regular monitoring of key recovery metrics, the Government continues to engage with businesses across the travel sector to understand ongoing challenges to growth and recovery. The Government is also working on a strategic framework for the aviation sector which will focus on building back better and ensuring a successful UK sector for the future.

Motorways: Safety

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to reinstate the hard shoulder on SMART motorways while an investigation into the accidents that have occurred on SMART motorways is carried out.

Trudy Harrison: On 2 November 2021, the Transport Select Committee published its report, The Rollout and Safety of Smart Motorways, which agreed that the Government was right to focus on upgrading the safety of All Lane Running smart motorways, rather than reinstating the hard shoulder, which the Committee recognised could cause more deaths or serious injuries on our roads. Having carefully considered the Committee’s report, the Department will be taking forward all its recommendations. This includes the recommendation to pause the roll out of future All Lane Running schemes until a full five years’ worth of safety data is available. During the pause, we will continue to make sure all existing All Lane Running smart motorways are made as safe as they can possibly be. We will also take forward the recommendations to pause the conversion of Dynamic Hard Shoulder smart motorways to All Lane Running until the next Road Investment Strategy. We will additionally retrofit more Emergency Areas across existing All Lane Running schemes; conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of stopped vehicle detection technology; explore the introduction of the emergency corridor manoeuvre into the Highway Code; and, investigate the benefits of health and safety assessments being undertaken by the Office of Rail and Road. Taken together, these measures will help ensure that our roads continue to be among the safest in the world, helping drivers not just to be safe, but crucially, to feel safe and confident when driving.

Bus Services: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the value for money to the public purse of (a) protecting existing levels of bus provision and (b) rebuilding bus service provision from a passenger base which may be up to 30 per cent lower than before the covid-19 outbreak, as reported by the Urban Transport Group in Continuing COVID Funding Support for Urban Public Transport, published in February 2022.

Trudy Harrison: The Department has conducted analysis on current service levels and future passenger trends, informed by input of stakeholders such as the Confederation of Passenger Transport and the Urban Transport Group. We are currently discussing with HMT the costs and benefits of extending the Bus Recovery Grant scheme.

Bus Services: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the impact of the cessation of the Bus Recovery Grant on the UK's ability to meet net zero objectives.

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State for Transport frequently has discussions with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a wide range of issues. In July 2021 we published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan – the first such Plan in the world – which sets the transport sector on the path to net zero by 2050. Commitments set out in the plan include ending the sale of all new non zero emission road vehicles by 2040, delivering the supporting charging infrastructure network, delivering the National Bus Strategy, which will improve services and support the delivery of zero emission buses and required infrastructure, and investing £2bn in active travel with the aim of half of all journeys in our towns and cities being cycled or walked by 2030.

Bridleways: Cycling

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bridleways have been incorporated into safe cycling routes to date.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is committed to ensuring that the public has good access to the countryside through the creation of new, waymarked and maintained paths. It is, however, for local authorities to decide how and where to incorporate bridleways into their cycling networks and to maintain them accordingly, and the Department does not hold a central record of this. The UK-wide National Cycle Network, managed by Sustrans, incorporates a number of bridleways, and the Department has provided £20 million to Sustrans during the current financial year to improve and resurface parts of the network.

Railways: North of England

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Levelling Up in the United Kingdom White Paper, what steps his Department is taking to improve rail connectivity for passengers travelling between the North of England and London.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how his Department is working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to ensure that improvements to rail connectivity between the North of England and London delivers economic prosperity for local communities.

Wendy Morton: LNER services on the East Coast Main line (ECML) connect London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. These services help to support levelling-up and provide a key avenue of Union connectivity. As a result, the Department is investing £1.2 billion in a programme of infrastructure enhancements for the ECML. These upgrades are vital to improve the service on the railway for tens of thousands of passengers who travel on the route. Alongside the brand-new Azuma trains, this will help to deliver journey time, reliability and capacity improvements. These upgrades have already enabled direct LNER services from London King’s Cross to Middlesbrough to commence in December 2021.  The review of the future timetable is considering the implementation of additional services to Bradford, Middlesbrough, Cleethorpes and Huddersfield, as well as aiming to deliver more services and faster journey times to Leeds and Edinburgh, improving connectivity between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. Additionally, following publication of the Integrated Rail Plan in November 2021, the Department will ask Network Rail to take forward interventions on the East Coast Main Line to deliver improved journeys to Leeds and the North East. This will consider upgrades to allow higher speeds, including up to 140mph on some sections, longer trains and measures to tackle bottlenecks that limit speed and capacity.

Bus Services: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the cessation of the Bus Recovery Grant in April 2022 on the ability of bus services to maintain levels of service.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support bus providers that may be unable to offer full services after the cessation of the Bus Recovery Grant in April 2022.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the duration of accessibility to the Bus Recovery Grant beyond April 2022.

Trudy Harrison: We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant. We recognise the ongoing challenges faced by operators and Local Transport Authorities and discussions on how best to support them are underway. To assist in the short term, the Department is making available an additional £29m in recovery funding this financial year, on top of the previously announced £226.5m. This will be provided through the Bus Recovery Grant in the form of an uplift to recipients, including operators and LTAs. This will assist the sector in maintaining high service levels.

Taxis: Contracts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a taxi operator licensed under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 is required to enter into a contractual obligation with the passenger, and is therefore liable for paying VAT.

Trudy Harrison: Interpretation of the law is ultimately a matter for the courts. In reaching its declaration on the legislation that applies to private hire vehicle operators in London, the High Court considered that which applies in the rest of England (except Plymouth) and Wales, but it did not make a declaration on the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. The recent High Court case was not a tax case, and so therefore does not have a direct bearing on the tax position. However, VAT is a tax that applies to transactions and is intended to tax what actually happens. Therefore, where a private hire vehicle operator supplies transport services to the passenger it should account for VAT on its fares accordingly.

Department for Transport: Social Media

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department manage ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Andrew Stephenson: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests. In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers. Department for Transport employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Department for Transport: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department for Transport is currently unable to provide this information for National Security reasons.

Blue Badge Scheme

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will review the Blue Badge renewal process.

Wendy Morton: The Department is currently working with the supplier of the Digital Service to identify possible improvements to the online application and re-application process as part of its National Disability Strategy commitments.

Blue Badge Scheme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing people with a temporary disability to apply for a Blue Badge.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling people undergoing (a) surgery followed by chemotherapy or radiation, (b) chemotherapy followed by surgery and (c) chemotherapy and concurrent radiation for the purposes of cancer treatment to apply for a Blue Badge.

Wendy Morton: The Blue Badge scheme is primarily about helping those with permanent mobility issues to access the goods and services they need. Applications are not dependent upon condition but are based on the need of the applicant to park closer to their destination. The Department has previously issued local authorities with advice on how they could use their existing powers to provide temporary parking concessions locally within their areas for residents with temporary impairments.

Railway Stations: Visual Impairment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his latest timetable is for the fitting of tactile paving on all railway platforms.

Wendy Morton: The Department has been working with Network Rail on a plan for the roll-out of tactile surfaces on all platforms in Great Britain. Network Rail has received an initial £10 million to install tactile paving at priority stations not already funded. Tactiles are being installed at stations across the network with more to come. I will make further announcements on the future rounds of funding and the programme in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have faced enforcement action for failing to pay the £0 cost of car tax for electric or low emission vehicles in the past five years.

Trudy Harrison: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) issues renewal reminders to the registered keeper of the vehicle. These reminders make clear that it is a legal requirement for a vehicle to be licensed annually even where no duty is payable. This helps ensure that the keeper information held on the DVLA’s record is accurate and reminds the keeper that if they do not intend on licensing the vehicle then it must be kept off road and a statutory off road notification must be made. The following table shows the number of electric or low emission vehicles with a nil rate of duty that were identified for potential enforcement action over the last five years as the vehicle had not been licensed on time. YearNumber of vehicles201734,303201838,464201935,692202013,650202140,1682022 (up to 22 Feb)4,902

Roads: Accidents

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic (a) accidents and (b) deaths have resulted from individuals driving cars purchased while not holding a valid driving licence since 2012.

Trudy Harrison: The information requested is not available.

Large Goods Vehicles: Events Industry

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of specialist event haulage vehicles, as defined in his Department's recent consultation on Support for specialist event hauliers working on cross border tours, in the UK since January 2019.

Trudy Harrison: The Department for Transport does not collect data on the different sub-sectors of haulage operators through the vehicle operator licence system, so no assessment of trends in the number of specialist event haulage vehicles is available. The Department is carefully considering responses to its recent consultation on support for specialist hauliers working on cross border tours and will set out proposed next steps in the coming weeks.

Large Goods Vehicles: Events Industry

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of specialist event haulage vehicles, as defined in his Department's recent consultation on Support for specialist event hauliers working on cross border tours, in the UK in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Trudy Harrison: The Department for Transport does not generate annual estimates of the number of specialist haulage vehicles under the draft definition in its recent consultation on support for specialist hauliers working on cross border tours.

Railways: Contracts

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timetable is for agreeing the first passenger service contracts with train operating companies.

Wendy Morton: The launch of the initial competition for passenger service contracts is expected to be in 2022 with award of the first contract in 2024.

Travel: Coronavirus

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to help strengthen public confidence in international travel during 2022.

Robert Courts: Following the changes to international travel implemented on 11 February, including the removal of all testing requirements for eligible vaccinated passengers, reducing measures for all other passengers, and recognising vaccine certificates from over 180 countries and territories, the UK now has one of the most open and streamlined COVID-19 border regimes in the world. Furthermore, my Rt Hon Friend the Transport Secretary is also looking at removing the Passenger Locator Form as soon as possible. The Government has also committed to developing a contingency toolkit, to be set out ahead of Easter, with new border health measures only implemented in extreme circumstances where necessary to protect public health against COVID-19 variants.

Great British Railways

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body will regulate Great British Railways.

Wendy Morton: As independent economic and safety regulator for Britain's railways, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will regulate Great British Railways.

Great British Railways

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers the Secretary of State for Transport has to direct the work of Great British Railways.

Wendy Morton: Once established, Ministers will have strong levers to hold Great British Railways to account, including statutory powers and the ability to issue mandatory directions and guidance that sets the direction for the railway - ensuring that the new body is focused on providing value for the taxpayer and delivering for passengers and freight customers.

Great British Railways

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) organisational structure and (b) workstreams of Great British Railways will be.

Wendy Morton: As set out in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, published May 2021, we are establishing a new public body, Great British Railways. Great British Railways will own the infrastructure, receive the fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables. This will require significant change to the system and a new sector operating model. Work to understand new organisational structures and workstreams for Great British Railways is in development and will be an iterative process.

Railways: Contracts

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to transfer responsibility for negotiating passenger service contracts from his Department to Great British Railways.

Wendy Morton: The Department for Transport will act as procuring authority until the legislative transfer of powers to Great British Railways. We will be starting extensive and detailed consultation with the industry on the legislative aspects of reform in due course. Where Legislation is needed it will be introduced when the Parliamentary timetable allows.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Pre-payment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has had made of the number of prepay meter users who may not be able to afford to top up their meters (a) as of 21 February 2022 and (b) as energy prices rise; what support is available for those people; and whether those people are counted as disconnected customers.

Greg Hands: The Regulator Ofgem monitors households' experiences with the energy market, including those with prepayment meters, through their Consumer Engagement Surveys. The most recent survey, published in April 2021, suggested that 21% of prepayment meter households had temporarily been disconnected from their supply because their meter had run out of credit. This report is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2021/04/consumer_survey_2020_update_on_engagement.pdf. The Price Cap continues to ensure that 22 million households, including the 4 million who use a pre-payment meter, pay a fair price for their energy. In addition, Ofgem’s new licence conditions rules protect Prepayment Meter customers at risk of self-disconnection and include requirements on suppliers to offer emergency and friendly-hours credit to all these customers and to offer additional support credit to customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Small Businesses: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support small business growth in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.

Paul Scully: We have a clear commitment to level up all areas of the country. The Levelling Up White Paper builds on the important work to level up the country set out in our 'Plan for Growth', coupled with the Innovation Strategy and the recent Net Zero Strategy. Boosting productivity, pay, jobs, and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in places where they are lagging, is one of the four key objectives for levelling up, and BEIS will have a key role in delivering on this ambition.In 2020, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was allocated £66m from the Getting Building Fund for a wide-ranging package of projects that will deliver a much-needed boost to the local economy. The Getting Building Fund will deliver growth for the local economy and support green recovery for a wide-ranging package of projects, fulfilling the government role in creating the conditions for businesses to develop and grow alongside the funding for the infrastructure needed to do this. This included £6.09 million towards Completing the Cultural Capital to help maximise the benefits of Coventry City of Culture. These benefits will be felt across all of Coventry and its constituencies.In 2021 the West Midlands Combined Authority was also awarded £766,332 from the Community Renewal Fund for the Coventry Creative Growth and Cultural Tourism Recovery Programme, an integrated business, skills and employment support package targeting Coventry’s cultural sectors, including creative industries, tourism, events, and businesses/freelancers supplying these sectors, providing support throughout the area.In addition, small business growth will be supported through investment in the Coventry Heritage Action Zone, working in partnership with Coventry City Council, Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and others to promote investment and bring business opportunities. Coventry has also benefitted from their status as City of Culture 2021, for which a significant part of the work helped to build capacity so the cultural scene in the city is financially and environmentally sustainable.Additionally, across Coventry and Warwickshire the government has invested £131.84 million from Local Growth Deals. This included projects which directly supported local business, for example £1.3m to support a Business Investment Fund providing direct grants to businesses, and £1 million to expand Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering support to connect supply chain and wider business community, expanding capabilities, skills and innovation activities. Across the Local Enterprise Partnership, the Local Growth Fund has generated around £220 million in public and private investment.

Solar Power: Bassetlaw

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what flood risk assessment will be made for a proposed Nationally Significant Infrastructure solar farm site between Clayworth and Gringley on the Hill in Bassetlaw.

Greg Hands: Given the Department’s statutory responsibility for determining individual planning applications for energy projects, Ministers are unable to comment on the specifics of individual applications. In general, Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, require a flood risk assessment. The Environment Agency will be consulted on the proposed development as part of the Development Consent Order process, the process by which these projects gain approval. The Environment Agency will comment on those elements which fall within its remit to assist the Planning Inspectorate in its examination of the proposal.

Energy: Meters

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to introduce industry standardised smart meters for gas and electricity consumption; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Government has already implemented a common standard for smart electricity and gas meters in Great Britain, which is set out in the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications (SMETS) and embedded within energy supplier licence conditions.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department (a) is taking steps and (b) plans to take steps to help reduce weekly road fuel prices for people in the Greater London area.

Greg Hands: The Government is conscious of the impact of fuel prices on households across the country and has therefore decided to keep fuel duty frozen for the twelfth consecutive year.

Energy: Billing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2022 to Question 117837 on Energy: Billing, what steps he is taking in response to energy companies placing speculative rises on direct debit charges in anticipation of further energy cost increases.

Greg Hands: The aim of a direct debit payment arrangement should be for customers to be close to a zero balance on their energy accounts at the end of a twelve-month period. To achieve this energy, suppliers typically review their customers’ direct debit arrangements twice a year based on an actual meter reading to ensure payments are set at a level to avoid large credit or debit balances. A supplier should explain the reasons for changes made to a customer’s direct debit arrangement with 10 days advance notice before the next payment is taken. The customer may challenge a proposed increase and renegotiate the direct debit payment level. They can also review their direct debit payments at any time by taking a meter reading, contacting their supplier and requesting a refund on a credit balance.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Greg Hands: A private wire is a distribution network that is not owned or operated by a licensed network operator. It comprises a direct and exclusive connection between a demand user and a generator that are separate entities. The Department is not aware of any critical infrastructure that is reliant on these arrangements.

Warehouses: Solar Power

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to provide funding for the fitting of solar panelling on all new warehouses.

Greg Hands: The Department has no plans to provide specific funding for the fitting of solar panels on all new warehouses. Building Regulations are technology-neutral, to preserve the flexibility that developers need to suit the circumstances of individual sites. Subject to further technical consultation, the Government expects the Future Buildings Standard to ensure all new non-domestic buildings are zero-carbon ready. Businesses installing roof top solar on warehouses can receive payment for any surplus electricity that is exported to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee. The Government is also providing fiscal incentives through capital allowances for spend on solar panels, and as announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Autumn Budget 2021, solar and storage used on site will be exempt from business rates from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2035.

Energy: Small Businesses

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support small businesses to help meet increased energy costs.

Greg Hands: The Government’s priority is to ensure costs are managed and supplies of energy are maintained. My Rt. Hon. Friend he Secretary of State is in regular contact with the energy industry and Ofgem to manage the impact of high global gas prices and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Energy Supply: Disadvantaged

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department holds data on the number of households potentially self-disconnecting from power supplies through non-usage as a result of the cost of energy.

Greg Hands: The Regulator Ofgem monitors prepayment meter customers’ experiences with the energy market. Ofgem’s most recent Consumer Engagement Survey, published in April 2021, suggested that 21% of prepayment meter customers households had temporarily been disconnected from their supply. This report is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/consumer-survey-2020-update-consumer-engagement-energy The Price Cap continues to ensure that 22 million households, including the 4 million who use a pre-payment meter, pay a fair price for their energy. In addition, Ofgem’s new licence conditions rules protect Prepayment Meter customers at risk of self-disconnection and include requirements on suppliers to offer emergency and friendly-hours credit to all these customers and to offer additional support credit to customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Solar Power: Environment Protection

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to minimise the impact on the countryside and environment of the development of (a) large solar farm sites, including the one proposed by West Burton Solar between the villages of Gringley on the Hill and Clayworth in Bassetlaw and (b) other Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

Greg Hands: Given this Department’s statutory responsibility for determining individual planning applications for energy projects, Ministers are unable to comment on the specifics of individual applications. Energy National Policy Statements set out the justification for certain types of nationally significant energy infrastructure developments and clear criteria which developers are required to address when preparing their applications, and these cover the impacts on the countryside and wider environment. Although solar farms are not covered in the existing suite of National Policy Statements, the draft National Policy Statement for renewable energy infrastructure covers solar farms at the scale of nationally significant infrastructure.The draft National Policy Statements are currently undergoing Parliamentary scrutiny.

Geothermal Power: District Heating

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the development of geothermal based district heating solutions.

Greg Hands: The recently published Heat and Buildings Strategy acknowledges the potential of geothermal energy and sets out the Government’s commitment to continue to monitor developments in geothermal heat in the UK and assess whether the technology provides a cost-effective option for the future. Officials are therefore currently reaching out to industry involved in the deep geothermal sector to improve the Government’s understanding of the barriers for investment and the potential of a geothermal heat pipeline. The Government will use this information to identify the next steps that can be taken both by government and industry to realise the potential of the sector for decarbonising heat.

Energy Performance Certificates: Private Rented Housing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of homes in the private rented sector which are not classified as having an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales.

Greg Hands: The latest available estimates of the number and proportion of private rented sector homes which are EPC C or above are as follows.  Number EPC C or aboveProportion EPC C or aboveEngland11,978,42541.8%Northern Ireland260,86044.8%Scotland3125,00040.0%Wales457,38728.0%*Includes all vacant and occupied homes in the private rented sector.  ** Includes homes with EPC ratings of A, B or C, using the SAP 2012 energy efficiency rating metric. 1 English Housing Survey 2020 to 2021 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2020-to-2021-headline-report2 Northern Ireland House Condition Survey 2016 https://www.nihe.gov.uk/Working-With-Us/Research/House-Condition-Survey3 Scottish house Condition Survey 2019 https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-house-condition-survey-2019-key-findings/pages/5/4 StatsWales dwelling stock estimates 2020 https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Housing/Dwelling-Stock-Estimates

Solar Power: Environment Protection

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) the solar plant proposed by West Burton Solar between the villages of Gringley on the Hill and Clayworth in Bassetlaw and (b) other large solar farms on connecting small rural villages.

Greg Hands: Due to its proposed size (over 50MW), West Burton Solar will be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. It is currently at the pre-application stage. When the application is ready, it will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. The Inspectorate will evaluate whether the application meets the necessary legal requirements. If it does, the Inspectorate will undertake a formal examination of the project in which the public will be able to participate and then provide a report to the Secretary of State to inform his decision-making. The Government recognises that solar farms can affect the local environment. Applicants must complete an Environmental Statement as part of their planning application as well as a public consultation allowing for local concerns to be considered.

Carbon Emissions

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February to Question 120606 on Carbon Emissions, what verification arrangements are in place to monitor whether and to what extent the Governments of (a) Russia, (b) China, (c) the US and (d) India are implementing net zero pledges; and whether it is Government policy to pursue net zero for the UK irrespective of progress by countries on net zero actions.

Greg Hands: The Paris Agreement require all countries to report to the UNFCCC on progress against emissions reduction commitments by December 31st 2024, and every two years afterwards. This information will be publicly available. The Enhanced Transparency Framework is designed to show that all countries are contributing their fair share to the global effort. At COP26, all countries agreed the Glasgow Climate Pact, which requests countries to revisit and strengthen their 2030 emissions reduction targets, as necessary, to align with the Paris temperature goal by the end of this year, and it signalled the start of the first Global Stocktake to assess the world’s collective progress. The UK Government is committed to delivering its legally-binding net zero target.

Energy: Prices

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of fracking for (a) oil and (b) natural gas in the UK in response to rising energy prices.

Greg Hands: The Government has been clear that shale gas development must be safe and sustainable – both for local communities and the environment. On the basis of the current scientific evidence, the Government has confirmed that it will take a presumption against issuing any further Hydraulic Fracturing Consents, which are required before hydraulic fracturing operations can take place. This position, an effective moratorium, will be maintained unless compelling new evidence is provided which addresses the concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity. Even if the current moratorium were lifted, development would also need to secure environmental permitting and planning consents, and it would take some years of exploration and development before commercial quantities of gas could be produced. Oil and gas is unlikely to become available in sufficient quantities to address the high prices currently affecting all of western Europe.

Fracking: Lancashire

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to prevent the implementation of the Oil and Gas Authority's order to concrete shale gas wells at the Preston New Road site in Lancashire.

Greg Hands: Gas wells need to be safely decommissioned at the end of their useful life. The Oil and Gas Authority is acting within its statutory remit to require the operator of these wells to decommission them.

Fossil Fuelled Power Stations

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there are (a) mothballed coal and (b) mothballed oil-fuelled power stations in the UK that could be brought back into emergency use; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Capacity Market is the government’s main mechanism for ensuring security of electricity supply. It secures the capacity needed to meet peak electricity demand in a range of scenarios through competitive, technology-neutral auctions. National Grid Electricity System Operator is the organisation responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand. The decision on whether to return mothballed coal- and oil-fuelled power stations back into use is a commercial matter for the companies involved.

Fish: Retail Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the predictions of industry leaders that one third of fish and chip shops will have to close as a result of escalating costs.

Paul Scully: We recognise the impact rising prices will have on businesses of all sizes and the Government is in regular contact with business groups and suppliers to understand the challenges they face and explore ways to protect businesses. In response to the pandemic we put in place one of the world’s most comprehensive economic responses worth £400 billion, including business grants, loans, business rates relief, and VAT discounts. In total, over £37 billion has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks. In addition, on 21 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a further £1 billion support for businesses most impacted by Omicron across the UK, including a more than £100 million boost to the Additional Restrictions Grant for Local Authorities to support other businesses. We are encouraging councils to provide the funding to businesses as quickly as possible.

Employment: Bullying and Harassment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2022 to Question 106778 on Employment: Bullying and Harassment, what steps a person can take to seek restitution to tackle bullying in their workplace that may not be covered by existing legislation relating to protected characteristics.

Paul Scully: We have published guidance that sets out the steps that employees can take if they are experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment. Acas provides free and impartial advice for employers and employees, and has also published useful guidance on how to deal with bullying in the workplace that we encourage individuals and employers to consider when dealing with such matters. This is available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied.

Directors

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department holds data on the number of RP06 forms submitted to Companies House in 2021.

Paul Scully: Companies House holds the data on the number of RP606 forms submitted to them. 2960 RP06 forms were submitted during the 2021 calendar year.

Research: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Levelling Up White Paper’s commitment to fund Research and Development Hot Spots across the country, what plans his Department has to promote research and development in the London Borough of Havering.

George Freeman: The success of London strengthens our national research and development (R&D) ecosystem, benefitting all UK regions. To this end, the Government is fully committed to the continued success of London’s world-class centres of R&D excellence. The 2021 Spending Review sees record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base with public spending on R&D increasing by £5 billion per annum to £20 billion in 2024-25. The substantial uplift to research and science funding will not only allow the UK to build on our existing strengths but will also provide opportunities to grow research and innovation investment across the entire country. Public R&D funding will continue to be awarded competitively and will be open to universities, businesses and organisations across the whole UK.

Science: Research

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support investment in science research at universities in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.

George Freeman: The 2021 Spending Review (SR) saw record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base, with public spending on R&D increasing by £5 billion per annum to £20 billion in 2024/25. This settlement will make significant progress to increase R&D sending to £22 billion by 2026-27. We have committed to a new mission to increase domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030, with that additional government funding seeking to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth. Supporting delivery of this mission, BEIS will make levelling up one of the objectives of its R&D investment strategy and will aim for the regions outside the Greater South East to receive at least 55% of its R&D budget by 2024/25. Alongside increasing investment in innovation across the country, we will invest £100 million to pilot new Innovation Accelerators supporting three UK city regions, including the West Midlands, to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation. The Accelerators will empower local areas by bringing together national and local government, industry and R&D institutions, including universities, in a long-term partnership. Following the SR, BEIS is working to set detailed R&D budgets through to 2024/25. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.

Science: Regional Planning and Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2022 to Question 119560 on Science: Regional Planning and Development, what plans he has to extend the biannual meetings with science ministers from the UK and devolved Administrations to regional leaders in England.

George Freeman: The Levelling Up White Paper announced that there will be a structured process of visits, at ministerial level, across the whole of the UK in the months following publication of this White Paper, to discuss how levelling up can be successfully achieved in that area and to gather feedback. I look forward to meeting with regional leaders in England and across the UK as part of this process.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Ethnic Groups

Imran Hussain: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants employed at Grade 7, or equivalent, and above in each Department identify as BAME.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Declaration on Government Reform commits the Government to drawing on talent from all backgrounds. There are a number of initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues to reach the Senior Civil Service from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Future Leaders Scheme for our Grade 6/7s and Senior Leaders Scheme which is targeted on our SCS Pay Band 1. The latest data on the Civil Service workforce is published in Civil Service Statistics 2021. This publication includes a breakdown by grade and department. The proportion of ethnic minority civil servants has risen from 9.2% in 2011 to 14.3% in 2021 (up from 13.2% in 2020). This exceeds 13.6%, the proportion of the UK’s economically active population who are from an ethnic minority. The positive increase in representation has been a steady incremental change over the last four years, underpinned by a programme of work including:a bespoke career progression offer for the G6/7 talent pipeline, including SCS application support, mentoring and sponsorship,greater promotion of internal talent schemes such as the Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme, supporting events organised by participants, andaccelerating work on the external SCS talent pool - by creating a Task and Finish group to oversee development of the pool and improve representation of disabled and ethnic minority senior leaders. Representation is increasing and, whilst this trend is positive, we remain committed to improving representation across the broadest range of diversity, as outlined in the Declaration on Government Reform across our workforce and, in particular, at our most senior grades. To build on the progress made over recent years and target where improvement is still needed, the Government will take a holistic approach to SCS recruitment to identify and remove barriers to underrepresented groups entering and progressing in the SCS.

Places for Growth Programme

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress has made on (a) delivering on the aims of the Places for Growth Programme and (b) employing more civil servants outside of London.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: More than 2,000 Civil Service jobs have already been relocated from Greater London. Places for Growth is contributing towards the Declaration on Government Reform and Levelling Up agenda by significantly increasing the geographic spread of Civil Servants across the UK, increasing opportunities for people from a wider range of places and closing the distance between national and local decision-makers. This is being delivered by moving 15,000 Civil Service roles out of Greater London by 2025.

Public Sector: Debt Collection

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish the outcome of its consultation on Fairness in government debt management.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The Government published a summary of responses to its Call for Evidence in February 2021, and will make any further announcements in the usual way. Findings from the consultation helped government develop the UK’s first public sector Vulnerability Toolkit to identify and support vulnerable people. The Debt Functional Standard has also been strengthened, which sets expectations for government debt management.

Local Government Services: Older People

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the elderly can access Government services that (a) have been and (b) are due to become digitalised.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to ensuring that assistance is always available for those who need it. Departments are required by the Service Standard to provide support to users via alternative channels for their services, where it is required, and the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) assures this via a service assessment process. CDDO provides guidance for Government teams and departments to consider assisted digital support for users who may lack trust in online services or the internet; confidence to use an online service themselves; access to the internet; digital skills; and, motivation to overcome these barriers on their own (https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/helping-people-to-use-your-service/assisted-digital-support-introduction).

Earl Mountbatten of Burma: Disclosure of Information

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what cost has been incurred to the public purse in respect of not allowing the public release of the Mountbatten archive as at 21 February 2022.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: I refer the hon. Member to their previous Parliamentary Question answered on 24 May 2021 PQ3128.

Prime Minister: Civil Servants and Ministerial Policy Advisers

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers are managed by the interim Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for Downing Street as at 22 February 2022.

Michael Ellis: Individual civil servants will be managed by civil servants as appropriate within their business units. Special Advisers are the responsibility of their appointing minister.

Cybersecurity

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote ways to strengthen the UK’s cyber resilience.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to promote measures to ensure the reliability of public services in protecting them from the risk of hostile cyber threats.

Michael Ellis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February to Question PQ 121977 and PQ 121979.

Cobra: Storms

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the Government held COBRA meetings in respect of Storm Arwen.

Michael Ellis: As a matter of policy, the Government does not comment on matters related to COBR.However, we can confirm that Ministers and officials from across government took several measures in response to Storm Arwen.The Defence Secretary oversaw the deployment of 297 military personnel to support civil authorities in the response. These personnel helped two Local Resilience Forums in the provision of welfare in northeast England, and assisted the Scottish Government in their response in the Grampian region.The Prime Minister spoke to the chief executive of Northern Powergrid to discuss the ongoing work to restore power in the affected areas. He also spoke with local community leaders in Northumbria, Durham and Darlington, and Lt Col Mark Steed, who coordinated the military involvement in the response in northeast England.Further to this, The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy gave a statement to Parliament at the time and The Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change responded to an Urgent Question on 6 December.Last week, the Government published an interim report on Storm Arwen review: Government publishes interim report on Storm Arwen review - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Refugees

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the additional £3 million of funding allocated to the NHS under Operation Warm Welcome has been spent on mental health support for Afghan refugees in the UK.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Finance

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money has been spent relating to the covid surge deal as of 24 February 2022; how many patients that funding has treated to date; and in which local areas the funding has been allocated and for what purpose.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with charities supporting immunocompromised and immunosuppressed groups to discuss what the Government will do to support them to live safely with covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will appoint a dedicated lead for immunocompromised and immunosuppressed people in Government in order to provide adequate communication and guidance on covid-19 to this group.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immunosuppression: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he intends to issue specific guidance for people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed on how to manage their risk to covid-19 in the Living Safely with Covid strategy.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling access for people with health anxiety to free covid-19 lateral flow testing beyond April 2022.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to end requirements for mandatory covid-19 vaccination for care workers and NHS staff.

Edward Argar: The Secretary of State announced on the 31 January that the Government intends to revoke the regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment in health and social care, subject to consultation.We have today published the Government’s response to the consultation undertaken. This confirms that we will revoke the vaccination as a condition of deployment requirements.

Home Care Services: Energy

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of rising energy costs on (a) kidney patients receiving dialysis treatment and (b) other individuals using large volumes of electricity to treat medical conditions at home.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the proposed merger of the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust with South Tees NHS Foundation Trust.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Kidney Diseases: Dialysis Machines

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to current and projected increases in domestic energy costs, what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury on providing financial support to individuals receiving energy-intensive kidney dialysis treatment at home; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will confirm the statement made by the Minister for Health in his correspondence with the Member for Stockton North on the 25 January 2022 that there are currently no plans to merge the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust with South Tees NHS Foundation Trust.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Flour: Folic Acid

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timescale is for implementing the decision to fortify non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid.

Maggie Throup: Following consultation, the Government announced in September 2021 that it would legislate to fortify non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have engaged with industry as part of a cross-Government review of bread and flour regulations. The four United Kingdom nations are now developing the legislation and impact assessment with the intention of consulting on the draft provisions in summer 2022.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what impact assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of its Living Safely with Covid strategy on the Panoramic study.

Maggie Throup: Limited symptomatic testing will be available for a small number of at-risk groups. The forthcoming testing strategy will provide more detail on eligible patients, including for those who may be eligible to enrol in the Panoramic study.

Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assess the ethical implications of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS.

Gillian Keegan: In February 2021, we launched the AI Ethics Initiative, as part of the NHS AI Lab, to support research and practical interventions that could strengthen the ethical adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in health and social care. The focus of the Initiative is to counter the inequalities which can arise as these technologies are developed and deployed. We are funding research to ensure AI accounts for the health needs of diverse communities and how it can improve health outcomes in minority ethnic populations. We are also funding research to discover insights and potential approaches to strengthen safeguards and parameters that govern the deployment of AI across healthcare, such as the potential to assess the societal impact before it is used.

Coronavirus: Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 21 to Question 86034 on Coronavirus: Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, what steps his department is taking to investigate the 427 suspected cases of major thromboembolic events with concurrent thrombocytopenia; and if the Government will make it its policy to those affected by those suspected cases of the availability of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

Maria Caulfield: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reviewed each Yellow Card report of suspected events of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). All reports are followed up for further details of the event to allow a robust assessment. Following a scientific assessment of all the available data and a review by the Commission on Human Medicines’ COVID-19 Vaccines Benefit Risk Expert Working Group, it was determined that an association between the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and TTS was likely. As a result, the vaccine product information was updated to make the public and healthcare professionals aware of this adverse event and provide advice on the signs, symptoms and actions to be taken in a TTS event. All suspected reports of TTS continue to be monitored and the MHRA will take further regulatory actions and inform patients and prescribers if new evidence emerges.All Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme claims are clinically assessed on a case-by-case basis by a third party, seeking further medical expertise as required.

Health Services: Video Conferencing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many IT providers of video-conferencing services have met the NHS's Digital Technology Assessment Criteria since they were launched; and which companies have met those criteria.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential risks to patient safety and data protection of using IT providers that do not meet the requirements of (a) DTAC and (b) DBC0129.

Gillian Keegan: A range of online consultation and video consultation solutions are available to procure through a Digital First, Online Consultation and Video Consultation (DFOCVC) procurement framework. The DFOCVC framework is underpinned by requirements as part of the Digital Care Services framework Capabilities & Standards Model. These requirements do not currently include compliance with the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).Of the suppliers on the framework, currently one supplier, Push Doctor Limited is known to have met the DTAC criteria through an assessment undertaken by NHSX in February 2021. Information on whether another National Health Service organisation has undertaken a DTAC assessment of another supplier on DFOCVC is not held centrally.The DTAC, incorporating DBC0129, was introduced in February 2021 to ensure that digital health technologies and clinical health IT systems purchased by the NHS meet a baseline standard, including on patient safety and data protection. The DTAC is currently non-mandatory and relies on its use by procuring organisations. The Health and Care Bill proposes legislative changes to provide a mechanism for DTAC to be mandatory and enforceable. In the interim, NHS organisations are required to pay due attention as an Information Standards Notice. The use of DTAC is already advised in NHS guidance, including the What Good Looks Like framework.

Mental Health Services: Ethnic Groups

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made on the rollout of the Patient and Carers Race Equalities Framework for mental health services; and what his timeline is for the completion of that rollout.

Gillian Keegan: The development of the Patient and Carers Race Equalities Framework (PCREF) is being overseen by the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce, the PCREF Steering Group and the PCREF Feedback Mechanism Group. The following four trusts have volunteered to help inform and test the PCREF:- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust;- East London NHS Foundation Trust;- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust; and- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. From Quarter 1 2022/23, NHS England and NHS Improvement will test the draft framework in the four pilot sites. Subject to the findings, NHS England and NHS Improvement aim to deploy the PCREF nationally in 2023/24.

Dementia: Health Services

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what long term support his Department offers for (a) people with and (b) carers of persons suffering from dementia.

Gillian Keegan: The Department has provided guidance ‘After diagnosis of dementia: what to expect from health and care services’, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/after-a-diagnosis-of-dementia-what-to-expect-from-health-and-care-services/after-diagnosis-of-dementia-what-to-expect-from-health-and-care-servicesCarers should be supported to feel able to cope with their caring responsibilities and to have a life alongside caring, including being made aware of and offered opportunities for respite. Local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any carer who appears to have a need for support. Later in 2022, we will be setting out our plans on dementia for England. The new dementia strategy will include a focus on improving the experience of being diagnosed and living with dementia, for people with dementia and their carers.

Maternity Services: Equality

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that pregnant women receive equitable care during (a) pregnancy and (b) childbirth.

Maria Caulfield: On 23 February 2022, we announced plans to establish a Maternity Disparities Taskforce to tackle disparities for mothers and babies and reduce maternal and neonatal deaths by improving access to equitable maternity care for mothers and babies from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas.On 6 September 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement published their Equity and Equality guidance for Local Maternity Systems to reduce disparities in health outcomes for women and babies from black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas. This includes an investment of £6.8 million to support the implementation of local action plans.Evidence that suggests continuity of carer is most effective for vulnerable and disadvantaged women. By 2024, we have committed that 75% of women from a black/black British and Asian/Asian British ethnic background and women from the 10% of neighbourhoods that are most deprived nationally will receive continuity of carer.

Vaccine Data Resolution Service: Standards

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many outstanding cases there are within the vaccine data resolution service; and what the current average wait time for a response.

Maria Caulfield: Information on the number of outstanding cases within the Vaccine Data Resolution Service (VDRS) is not held centrally. As of 28 February 2022, the average time for the VRDS to contact individuals following a referral is three days.

Ophthalmic Services: Special Educational Needs

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2022 to Question 119402, on Special Educational Needs: Ophthalmic Services, how many day special schools are part of the Proof-of-Concept programme to provide sight tests and dispensing of glasses on school premises; and how many children attending day special schools have been seen under that programme to date.

Maria Caulfield: There are currently 93 day special schools participating in the Proof-of-Concept programme. To date, claims submitted by contractors indicate that 2,695 children have received a sight test, of which 1,152 required and received glasses. The programme will be evaluated later this year.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare of 15 November and 20 December2021 on behalf of his constituent, Paul Maksimczyk,about retired dentists.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 26 January 2022.

Dementia: Research

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of dementia research funding.

Maria Caulfield: No recent assessment has been made. However, we have committed £375 million for neurodegenerative disease research in the next five years, including dementia. We will be setting out our plans on dementia in England for future years later this year, which will include our ambitions for dementia research.

North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group: Standards

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of NHS North Tyneside CCG in reducing waiting times for treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The NHS North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has been working to reduce waiting times for treatment, although this is impacted by COVID-19. The CCG have made use of locums and an Elective Recovery Framework and a Recovery Plus programme have been developed to address waiting times, with system-wide solutions established with local integrated care systems.

Aortic Dissection: Research

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase research funding into aortic dissection.

Maria Caulfield: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including aortic dissection.In December 2020, the Department convened a multidisciplinary group of experts and patient representatives together to identify high-priority research questions for aortic dissection. In response to an outcome paper from this workshop, the NIHR launched a call on ‘Early endovascular repair in type b uncomplicated sub-acute aortic dissection’ and is currently exploring the development of a brief to cover outstanding questions and signal the NIHR’s desire to commission research in this important area.

Health Services: Standards

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England’s Admitted Commissioner Statistics, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the disparity in completed pathways between top performing NHS North East and Yorkshire and lowest performing NHS London; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: No formal assessment has been made. Each locality has unique population and health issues, with each region monitoring a number of factors.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to isolate covid-19 patients from patients without covid-19 in hospitals.

Edward Argar: The UK Health Security Agency has published guidance for all National Health Service organisations on infection prevention and control in health and care settings to prevent the transmission of seasonal respiratory infections, including COVID-19. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-guidance-for-maintaining-services-within-health-and-care-settings-infection-prevention-and-control-recommendationsThe guidance sets out the mitigations in place to protect both patients and staff from respiratory infections, including screening, triaging, patient placement, testing, hierarchy of controls, administrative measures and isolation requirements for patients with respiratory symptoms.

Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many individuals in the UK have had shoulder surgery in each of the last three years by (a) age and (b) gender.

Edward Argar: This information is not held in the format requested. However, data on the number of shoulder surgeries in England in each of the last three years by age and gender is shown in the attached table.TABLE (xlsx, 22.2KB)

Health Services

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the oversight framework for 2021-22 for the National Outpatient Transformation Programme.

Edward Argar: While there is no specific oversight framework, a copy of the ‘New Board and executive governance framework’ is attached.Framework  (pdf, 4693.1KB)

Hospitals: Finance

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for St Mary’s on the Isle of Wight and other Unavoidably Small Hospitals; and what steps he plans to take to establish a long-term strategy to adjust funding levels relative to that assessment.

Edward Argar: NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). This process is independent of the Government and the underlying allocation formula is informed by an estimation of the relative health needs of local areas, based on factors statistically associated with higher or lower need per head for NHS services. Further cost adjustments are also applied to estimate the unavoidable cost differences between health care providers, based on location. The Isle of Wight has been supported by increased CCG allocations as per these adjustments to reflect its small size and the associated unavoidable costs.

NHS: Coronavirus

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support will be provided to NHS trusts who are disproportionally impacted by NHS staff shortages as a result of compulsory covid-19 vaccines for NHS staff.

Edward Argar: Following the continued success of the vaccination programme, on 31 January 2022, the Government announced that vaccination will no longer be a condition of deployment for health and social care staff, subject to a public consultation and parliamentary process.

NHS: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make additional funding available for recruitment to tackle the shortfall in staff in the NHS in Greater Manchester.

Edward Argar: The 2021 Spending Review confirmed that expenditure on the National Health Service would continue to grow at 3.8% in real terms. The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership has received approximately £4.7 billion in 2021/22 - an increase of approximately £175 million or 3.9% on the previous year.Between September 2020 and September 2021, the number of doctors in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in the North West increased by 791 or 4.8% and the number of nurses increased by 1,673 or 3.7%. We are on schedule to deliver 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament. In 2020, there were 1,500 additional medical school places available - a 25% increase over three years. This expansion will maximise future workforce supply in the NHS, including in Greater Manchester.

NHS: Coronavirus

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will require the NHS to publish its contingency plans to maintain safe staffing levels in the context of the enforcement of covid-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment.

Edward Argar: On 31 January 2022, the Government announced that vaccination will no longer be a condition of deployment for health and social care staff, subject to a public consultation and Parliamentary approval.

Health Services: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the details of the ministerial direction he has issued regarding the New Covid Surge Deal With the Independent Health Sector including providing (a) the costs of arrangements including how much the NHS will pay per patient, (b) what budget the money will come from and whether Trust budgets or NHSE  and (c) whether the deal specifies if the private sector will be required to prioritise NHS patients over private patients.

Edward Argar: The letter issuing the Direction was published on GOV.UK on 12 January 2022.NHS England estimates a cost of £75 to £90 million per month whilst the ‘surge arrangements’ within the contract are not activated. If surge arrangements are activated, NHS England estimates the maximum cost of the arrangements to be £175 million per month. However, this is based on surge arrangements being activated nationally, which is considered to be unlikely. While prices are based on the National Health Service national tariff, it is not possible to provide the cost per patient as this is dependent on the type of activity completed, the minimum income guarantee when surge arrangements are not activated and the not-for-profit cost recovery model when they are.Funding will be provided from the overall NHS budget and local systems will not face higher costs as a result of these new arrangements. If surge arrangements are activated, the NHS will have access to 100% of the facilities, staffing and resources of the independent sector provider in the affected system. When surge arrangements are not activated, the independent sector providers may continue to perform private work as usual.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for High Peak of 24 November 2021, reference RL30340.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 9 February 2022.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 17 November 2021 from the hon. Member for High Peak, reference RL30686.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 31 January 2022.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Nurses

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent nurses are employed by all NHS Foundation Trusts in England in each year since 2009-10.

Edward Argar: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practice surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) nurses employed by a National Health Service trust with foundation trust status in England in September of each year from 2009 to 2021.September 2009112,518September 2010120,092September 2011130,702September 2012150,284September 2013157,257September 2014161,210September 2015171,506September 2016178,592September 2017180,629September 2018185,061September 2019192,742September 2020203,949September 2021212,922 Source: NHS Digital Workforce StatisticsNote:The total number of FTE nurses does not match the total numbers of FTE nurses in all NHS trusts and CCGs published by NHS Digital. Not all NHS trusts are or have always held foundation trust status. Nurses employed in NHS trusts which did not hold foundation trust status at the point of data collection but later became foundation trusts because of a merger, are not included until after the trust they are employed in gained foundation trust status.

NHS: Buildings

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making on improving air extraction, air filtration and UV cleaning in NHS properties.

Edward Argar: The ‘Health Technical memorandum - Specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings (HTM 03-01)’ was issued on 22 June 2021, which includes updates guidance on ventilation to manage infection risks and the technology available. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/All trusts must have an Authorising Engineer (Ventilation) designated by the trust management to provide independent auditing and advice on ventilation systems, to review documentation on verification and validation and witness the process as necessary.In April 2021, updated guidance on the cleaning of National Health Service facilities was provided in ‘National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2021’, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/B0271-national-standards-of-healthcare-cleanliness-2021.pdfWhile ultraviolet (UV) cleaning has been considered, it does not replace the need to physically clean the environment and therefore it has not been recommended instead of physical cleaning. In addition, it cannot be used in occupied rooms, therefore its applicability in an operational healthcare environment is challenging. However, we understand that some NHS trusts deploy UV cleaning based on local cleaning needs. As new research and technology becomes available, the NHS will update existing or provide additional guidance.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on outpatient waiting times at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital of the (a) time taken to fund the modernisation of that hospital and (b) challenges faced in recruiting staff as a result.

Edward Argar: While there has been an increase in the waiting time for a first outpatient appointment compared to pre-pandemic levels, it is not possible to attribute this to either the hospital’s modernisation or the recruitment of staff.The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is undertaking a £9.3 million upgrade of its emergency department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, which will increase capacity and upgrade facilities. This will add 11 cubicles, a new and improved Majors department, a new designated emergency zone for children and young people and a new clinical decisions unit. All areas will be completed by spring 2022.Construction is also underway on a new modular ward to add additional capacity at the Royal Shrewsbury site, creating 32 additional beds by spring 2022. The Trust has provided alternative options for outpatients, including videoconferencing and telephone appointments. A new diagnostic pod, containing magnetic resonance and computed tomography scanners, has been operational since October 2021 reducing waiting times for outpatients awaiting scans as part of their treatment plan.Between September 2019 and February 2022, the Trust recruited 290 international nurses. From May 2022, the Trust will begin a new recruitment campaign for a further 100 international nurses.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to support the adults and children harmed by sodium valproate in pregnancy and who suffer from health issues as a consequence of that medication.

Maria Caulfield: Multidisciplinary teams within local child development centres manage services for children with neurodevelopmental disorders to ensure assessment, support and treatment, including specialist treatment, are integrated across health, maternity, education and social care systems.The National Health Service has commissioned the Paediatric Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group to support the development of pathways of care service specification to improve patient support and co-ordination. A multi-disciplinary expert clinical group with experience in responding to and managing teratogen exposure has been established. The Group will report its recommendations to NHS England and NHS Improvement in March 2022.

Long Covid: Health Services

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of accessibility to financial and rehabilitative support for long Covid; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of support provided for that condition.

Maria Caulfield: While no formal assessment has been made, NHS England and NHS Improvement are monitoring provision to ensure patients’ needs are met. NHS England and NHS Improvement have invested £224 million to support the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of people with post-COVID-19 syndrome, including £90 million for services in 2022/23. As more evidence emerges, the Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Department for Work and Pensions to consider the Government’s provisions and approach for those experiencing the long term effects of the virus.

Foetal Death: Registration

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on fulfilling section 3 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc) Act 2019 regarding a report on changing the law on registration of stillbirths before 24 weeks; when the reviewing panel last met; who sits on the panel; and what the status is of that report.

Maria Caulfield: The Pregnancy Loss Review Advisory Panel last met on 24 October 2018.  Work on the Review was paused in 2020 owing to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has now resumed and we aim to publish the report in due course. We are unable to provide the information requested on the membership of the panel as disclosure of this information would contravene data protection principles.

Perinatal Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many stillbirths have taken place in hospitals in England in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held in the format requested as the there is no available data on whether stillbirths occur in or out of hospitals. However, the following table shows data from the Office of National Statistics’ child mortality dataset on the number of stillbirths in England in each year from 2011 to 2019. Data for 2020 is not yet available. YearNumber of stillbirths in England20192,34620182,52020172,67920162,89520152,95220143,04720133,10320123,35720113,619Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/childmortalitystatisticschildhoodinfantandperinatalchildhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwalesNote:Data shows babies born at 24 weeks gestational age or greater which did not breathe or show signs of life.

Sodium Valproate

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial provision he has made to support the health needs of those affected by Sodium Valproate.

Maria Caulfield: Those affected by sodium valproate may be in receipt of Continuing Healthcare where individuals with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the National Health Service. Personal Health Budgets are also available to support health and wellbeing needs, which is planned and agreed between the individual or their representative and the local clinical commissioning group.

Dental Services: Finance

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what dedicated (a) capital and (b) other financial support has been allocated to primary care NHS dental services in England to support those services through the covid-19 outbreak, in (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

Maria Caulfield: Throughout the pandemic, we have provided funding to ensure National Health Service dental practices continue to receive the full contract value, minus agreed deductions for variable costs, for delivering a reduced volume of activity. Safe activity thresholds triggering the payment of full contract value have been set, based upon data demonstrating what dentists have achieved to date and consideration of infection prevention and control guidance. The funding provided to the NHS to for practice income protection has also covered the reduction in patient charge revenue received due to reduced activity. Free personal protective equipment has also been provided to dental practices in 2020/21 and 2021/22 and now extended to 31 March 2023 or until infection prevention and control guidance is withdrawn or significantly amended. An additional £50 million has been made available for the remainder of 2021/22 to allow more patients access to dental care.

Maternity Services: Coronavirus

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS guidance, Supporting pregnant women using maternity services during the coronavirus pandemic: Actions for NHS providers, published on 14 December 2020, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS Trusts adhere to that guidance; and what steps his Department is taking to support NHS trusts to follow that guidance.

Maria Caulfield: In January 2022 NHS England and NHS Improvement reissued guidance on supporting pregnant women with maternity services. This sets the expectation for all trust boards to continue to enable partners to accompany women to all appointments and throughout birth while continuing to ensure the safety of services. All providers in England report that they are following this guidance. Should any issues with compliance arise, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s regional teams, including the regional chief midwife, work with individual trusts where appropriate to support them towards compliance.

Mechanical Thrombectomy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2021 to Question 81051 on Mechanical Thrombectomy, how many of the 24 centres offering thrombectomy procedures are in each of the (a) NHS’s seven regions and (b) shadow integrated care system areas.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is shown in the following tables.London regionCentresSouth West London Integrated Care System (ICS)1South East London ICS1North East London Health and Care Partnership ICS2NW London Health and Care Partnership ICS1North Central London Partners in health and care ICS1London region total6 East of England regionCentresCambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS1East of England region Total1  Midlands regionCentresBirmingham and Solihull ICS1Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICS1Together We’re Better Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS1Coventry and Warwickshire ICS1Midlands region total4North East and Yorkshire regionCentresHumber, Coast and Vale ICS1South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS1West Yorkshire and Harrogate ICS1North East and North Cumbria ICS2North East and Yorkshire region total5 North West regionCentresGreater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership ICS1Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership ICS1Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS1North West region total3  South West regionCentresHealthier Together ICS1Together for Devon ICS1South West region total2South East regionCentresHampshire and Isle of Wight ICS1Sussex Health and Care Partnership ICS1Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICS1South East region total3

Dental Services: Expenditure

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total expenditure was in (a) nominal and (b) real terms on NHS orthodontic services in England in each year since 2010-11.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total expenditure on NHS orthodontic services was in England per head of population in (a) nominal and (b) real terms in each year since 2010-11.

Maria Caulfield: Data on National Health Service orthodontics expenditure is not held centrally.

Long Covid: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle the prevalence of long covid.

Maria Caulfield: The prevention of COVID-19 infection will reduce the prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome. We are reducing the levels of infection through pharmaceutical interventions such as vaccines, supporting the National Health Service and social care to prevent transmission, identifying and isolating positive cases and providing advice to the public on how to protect themselves and others.The booster vaccination campaign will provide additional protection against hospitalisations, especially amongst older and more vulnerable populations. We are also increasing capacity in the NHS, deploying antiviral and monoclonal antibody treatments and providing free lateral flow device tests to 100,000 critical workers.

Foetal Tissue: Surgery

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what pain relief guidelines are in place regarding the performance of surgeries by the NHS on fetuses.

Maria Caulfield: Pain relief, such as fentanyl, can be given to the fetus prior to or during procedures such as the insertion of a needle into the chest or abdomen. National Health Service units are adopting this practice in line with recent international guidance. For major fetal surgery, such as the in-utero repair of spina bifida, NHS England’s service specification provides guidance for the use of fetal analgesia, which is used in all cases.

Public Health: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of increase in public health funding needed by local authorities to clear the backlog in demand for public health services due to the covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. Analytical work to support the 2021 Spending Review included consideration of the impact of COVID-19 as part of a range of potential pressures on local authorities’ public health services. The Public Health Grant to local authorities will be maintained in real terms over the Spending Review period. We also announced additional investment to tackle obesity and improve the Start for Life offer available to families, with further funding committed to deliver the drugs strategy.

Health Visitors

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times (a) he and (b) his Ministers met with health visitors, aside from those employed by his Department and its agencies, between 16 September and 31 December 2021.

Maria Caulfield: There were no such meetings during this period. The Department will continue to engage with a range of public health nursing bodies, including to support implementation of the Start for Life Vision. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

Podiatry

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support podiatrists within primary care to respond to increasing trends foot ulceration and amputation and to maintain peoples’ walking, working, and wellbeing.

Maria Caulfield: Evidence suggests that multidisciplinary footcare teams (MDFTs), including podiatrists, play an important role in diabetes footcare pathways and can significantly reduce amputations and diabetic foot disease. Between 2020/21 and 2023/24, a further £75 million of targeted funding is being allocated for the treatment and care of people living with diabetes. This will support new or expanded services towards the provision of universal access to MDFTs. NHS England continues to work with local teams to identify and develop plans to address gaps in service provision. General practitioner practices are incentivised through the Quality and Outcomes Framework to identify and proactively manage diabetic patients in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. This includes ensuring a foot examination and risk classification is recorded each year

Health Visitors

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2022 to Question 110502, how many times (a) he and (b) his Ministers met with health visitors, aside from those employed by his Department and its agencies, between 16 September and 31 December 2021.

Maria Caulfield: There were no such meetings during this period. The Department continues to engage with a range of public health nursing bodies, including through the Chief Public Health Nurse, and to support implementation of the Start for Life Vision. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the withdrawal of ear syringing procedures by GPs on patient wellbeing.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made. In 2018 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance which advises against ear wax syringing due to its associated risks. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax and to prevent its build up. However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, ear irrigation or microsuction as clinically appropriate should either be undertaken at the practice if the expertise and equipment are available. Alternatively, the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.

Brain: Tumours

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of established brain tumour centres are funded by (a) Governmental bodies and (b) the third sector.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are the direct commissioners of neurosurgery services, radiotherapy services and chemotherapy services, all of which are involved in the care of patients with brain tumours. There are 24 National Health Service commissioned and funded neurosciences centres which undertake surgery and NHS commissioned oncology centres which coordinate and deliver other aspects of care. Some follow-up care may be undertaken outside of these centres, within hospital oncology departments.

Dental Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement that £50 million is to be made available as non-recurrent funding for urgent dental care and stabilisation in England, how many dental practices had given expressions of interest to undertake urgent dental care by 31 January 2022 by county.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement that £50 million is to be made available for non-recurrent funding for urgent dental care and stabilisation in England, how many of the dental practices that offered to carry out urgent dental care and stabilisation had their offer confirmed by a dental commissioner as at the 18 February 2022 by county.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not held centrally.

Ear Wax: Medical Treatments

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of NHS provision of ear syringing in England.

Maria Caulfield: No formal assessment has been made. Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to the associated risks, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection. NICE’s guidance suggests alternative arrangements, such as ear irrigation, micro suction, or manual removal.

Brain: Tumours

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the statement by the Task and Finish Group on Brain Tumour Research 2018-2019, that additional research is needed and the funders are ready to invest more in brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: The Department agrees that more research is needed on brain cancer and in 2018, we announced £40 million over five years for brain tumour research. The Department is working with research funders and other stakeholders through the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to increase the capability and capacity of the brain tumour research community to enable researchers to develop fundable research proposals.

Leader of the House

All Party Groups

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the (a) operation and (b) governance of All Party Parliamentary Groups.

Mark Spencer: The Committee on Standards is currently undertaking a wide-ranging inquiry into the rules and regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups. As part of its inquiry, the Committee has taken written and oral evidence which is available on its website (https://committees.parliament.uk/work/659/allparty-parliamentary-groups/publications/). I look forward to seeing the Committee’s recommendations once its report has been published. The rules governing APPGs are overseen by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and are ultimately a matter for the House.

Department for Education

Family Hubs

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the relationship is between the Family Hubs Local Transformation Fund and the Family Hubs Network.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any funding from the public purse has been allocated to the Family Hubs Network, founded by Lord Farmer, as part of the Government’s rollout of the Family Hub Model Framework.

Will Quince: The government has announced a £300 million package to transform services for parents, carers, babies, and children in half of local authorities across England. This includes £82 million to create a network of family hubs.The department will set out more detail in due course on how this new funding will be allocated. This builds on a £12 million family hubs transformation fund, which will support at least 12 local authorities in England to transform to a family hub model of service delivery. The family hubs model framework, published alongside the application guide for the family hub local transformation fund, provides information to local authorities bidding for transformation funding. Guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-transformation-fund.The vast majority of government investment in family hubs will be allocated through councils and other public bodies. No funding has been allocated to the Family Hubs Network run by Lord Farmer. The department holds no contracts with the Family Hubs Network Ltd, and all government contracts are procured through fair and open competition.

Children in Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked after children have been placed with family members overseas in each of the last five years.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is his policy is on placing looked after children with family members overseas rather than placing a child in care in the UK.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of children in care who have family members overseas that they could be safely placed with; and what support his Department provides to enable that.

Will Quince: Where a child cannot live with their birth family, local authorities have a legal duty to first consider family and friend carers, including those living in other countries. The department has issued specific guidance to English local authorities on working with foreign authorities on child protection cases and care orders where the child has links to a foreign country. This includes advice on placing children abroad. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-protection-working-with-foreign-authorities.The department does not hold figures on the number of looked after children who have been placed overseas specifically with family members. Nor does the department collect information on the number of children in care who have family members overseas with whom they could be safely placed. We can provide figures using a wider definition of children placed overseas with a relative or friend. These figures can be found in the table below.Children looked after at any time during the year ending 31 March1,2 with an overseas placement3 with a relative or friend4,5Years ending 31 March 2017 to 2021Coverage: Non-UK  2021302020402019402018602017601. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. See looked after children statistics guide for more information on rounding.2. Excludes children looked after exclusively under one or more agreed series of short term placements at any time during the years ending 31 March.3. Non-UK placements only, i.e. excludes all placements in English local authorities, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and confidential placements.4. The following types of placement have been included: foster placement with relative or friend: long-term fostering; foster placement with relative or friend who is also an approved adopter: fostering for adoption (FFA)/concurrent planning; foster placement with a relative or friend: not long-term fostering or FFA/concurrent planning; and placed with own parents or other person with parental responsibility.5. Where a child has more than one placement overseas in a year ending 31 March, they will only be included once in the figures for that year.

Special Educational Needs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding allocated from the high needs budget to young people aged 16-25 years when compared with the proportion of Education Health and Care Plans that are held by people in that age bracket.

Will Quince: When the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) was created in 2013/14, it incorporated funding to reflect the costs of support to young people up to age 25. The expected additional cost to local authorities was directly taken into account by:moving all funds previously allocated to supporting young people aged 16-25 with high needs through the previous funding system, into the high needs block of the DSG and;increasing the high needs block further to reflect the likely increase in numbers of young people requiring high needs funding. An additional £272 million was allocated to the DSG in the financial year 2013/14, and £390 million in the financial year 2014/15. The difference between the two years lies in the fact that some of the changes relating to funding provision for young people aged over 16 years old with high needs started in August 2013, rather than at the start of the financial year in April 2013. These increases in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial years were consolidated into the funding baseline. This informed the 2015 spending review settlement reached between the department and Her Majesty’s Treasury. Local authorities’ increased spending, including on 16-25-year-olds, was also considered in subsequent decisions on the appropriate level of high needs funding through the DSG, and for informing overall Spending Review settlements. As a result of the Autumn 2021 Spending Review, the core schools budget will have increased by more than £7 billion by the financial year 2024/25, compared to 2021/22. High needs funding for children and young people with complex needs is increasing in the next financial year 2022/23 by £1 billion to over £9.1 billion. This unprecedented increase in high needs funding of 13% in the financial year 2022/23, compared to 2021/22, comes in addition to the £1.5 billion increase over the last two years. It will continue to support local authorities and schools with the increasing costs they are facing. In 2017, the department produced guidance for local authorities about education, health and care (EHC) plans for 19 to 25-year-olds with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This non-statutory guidance is primarily for local authorities. It aims to support them in making fair and consistent decisions about when they should maintain an EHC plan beyond the age of 19 or issue an EHC plan to a young person aged 19 or over. The guidance facilitates the decisions in remaining in line with local authorities’ duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, and as described in the SEND code of practice.

Education: Children: Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the £30 million programme of SAFE taskforces will be allocated to be spent on (a) looked after children and (b) all other children.

Will Quince: Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) Taskforces will be led by mainstream schools in serious violence hotspots to support those most vulnerable to serious violence to re-engage with their education.At a national level, 0.7% of pupils in state-funded secondary schools were looked after at any point in academic year 2018/19. We know that children who are looked after are more likely to enter the youth justice system. For example, between 6% and 8% of children aged 10-17 years in care enter the youth justice system, more than double the percentage of children in the general population. Each SAFE Taskforce will undertake quantitative and qualitative assessments of their area’s own specific local needs, to inform which cohorts they will focus on. This assessment will include information such as the social care background of pupils.

Free School Meals

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 100944 on Free School Meals, whether his Department has made a more recent assessment of the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals who are registered to receive this support.

Will Quince: As noted in the previous response, we do not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a free school meal (FSM) but do not make a claim.There are now 1.7 million pupils eligible and claiming FSM. This information is published annually in the Statistical First Release: Schools, pupils and their characteristics. The latest available data was published in June 2021, based on the January 2021 census. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2021.Under this government, eligibility for FSM has been extended several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century.We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming FSM, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. We have taken a number of steps to support this, as set out in the previous response.

Alternative Education: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the £15 million from the Treasury’s shared outcomes fund to support a two year programme to keep pupils in alternative provision will be allocated to be spent on (a) looked after children and (b) all other children.

Will Quince: The alternative provision (AP) specialist taskforce programme is working in 22 serious violence hotspots in England and is designed to support pupils in AP settings most at risk of involvement in serious violence. AP specialist taskforce funding will be spent according to the identified needs of pupils in each AP setting. At a national level, of the pupils with sole or main registration in state place-funded AP in academic year 2018/19, 8.1% were looked after by a local authority at some point in the year. This compares to 0.66% of pupils in all state-funded schools.

Universities: Coronavirus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish guidance for universities on refunding students whose face-to-face teaching contact was reduced during the covid-19 restrictions.

Michelle Donelan: The unprecedented and unique nature of the COVID-19 outbreak necessitated changes to the way higher education (HE) providers delivered their teaching.HE providers have delivered new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Some providers continue to use some of these approaches alongside in-person provision. However, online learning should only be offered to enhance the student experience, not to detract from it, and it should not be used as a cost-cutting measure.In line with all other settings, HE providers should continue to conduct risk assessments for their particular circumstances. Risk assessments should take account of the approach to managing COVID-19 in wider society, particularly now that all restrictions have been removed and the vaccine programme continues to be rolled out. Risk assessments should never be used to prevent providers delivering a full programme of face-to-face teaching and learning.HE providers are independent and autonomous bodies which are responsible for the management of their own affairs. If students have concerns about the delivery of their university courses, they should first raise them with their provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE to consider their complaint.

Special Educational Needs: Further Education

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure high levels of staff vacancy in specialist further education colleges do not jeopardise the quality and availability of provision for young people with the most complex special educational needs and disability.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has he made of the capacity of the further education sector to meet the needs of the young people with more complex special education needs and disability who will be entering further education over the next five years.

Alex Burghart: It is essential that all learners in the further education (FE) sector, including those with complex special needs, experience the highest quality teaching. We recognise that teacher recruitment and retention can be challenging for providers which is why, in the current financial year, the government is investing £50 million in programmes designed to improve the supply and quality of FE teachers. In January 2022 we launched a recruitment campaign to raise awareness of the opportunities to teach in FE with a wider audience. For those choosing to specialise in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teaching in the FE sector, we have also announced that we will offer training bursaries worth £15,000 each, tax-free, for a further academic year (2022/23). This will help to boost the supply of teachers with specialist training to support learners with SEND in the FE sector. We are also investing £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This funding represents a transformational investment in new high needs provision and will help deliver tens of thousands of new high needs places, including in post-16 and FE settings. Local authorities are best placed to understand the capacity of their local FE provision to accommodate additional children and young people with SEND. The department does not currently collect data centrally on available capacity in high needs provision but is continuing to work with local authorities to better understand future demand for SEND provision, including in FE settings, as it considers how it can best support the sector going forwards.

National Tutoring Programme

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the attendance rate has been for the tuition partner pillar of the National Tutoring Partnership in each academic year that the scheme has been running.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of National Tutoring Programme sessions have been cancelled with more than 24 hours’ notice this academic year in the tuition partnership pillar.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of National Tutoring Programme sessions have been cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice this academic year in the tuition partnership pillar.

Mr Robin Walker: The department has published participation figures for the first term of this academic year which estimates that just over 300,000 tuition courses had been started since September. The department will be releasing more information about the programme in future.

National Tutoring Programme

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s contract with Randstad for the National Tutoring Programme, what steps his Department is taking to procure a new supplier for the scheme from 1 September 2022.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many service points Randstad has accrued over the 2 month period under the contract for the National Tutoring Programme.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has agreed a rectification plan with Randstad as part of the contract for the National Tutoring Programme.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s contract with Randstad for the National Tutoring Programme, whether his Department has procured a benchmark review using a third party organisation to establish whether the services delivered as part of that contract are of good value.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s contract with Randstad for the National Tutoring Programme, what assessment he has made of the maximum payment for the termination of that contract.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s contract with Randstad for the National Tutoring Programme, whether his Department has requested a termination estimate.

Mr Robin Walker: The delivery and performance of the National Tutoring Programme is monitored closely through ongoing performance reviews, governance boards and senior level meetings.The department is unable to provide detailed information regarding the contract with Randstad as it is commercially sensitive. We continue to review the delivery of the programme and will set out our future plans in due course.A full independent evaluation of the programme will be published in summer 2023.

Students: Loans

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Universities of 15 July 2021, Official Report, column 646, that the Government will provide an update on alternative student finance as it concludes the post-18 review of education and funding, what plans he now has to introduce a system of alternative student finance.

Michelle Donelan: The government’s priority, in our response to the report of the Independent Panel of the Review of Post 18 Education and Funding, is to put the student finance system on a sustainable footing for the long term.As part of our response, we are introducing the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE). We are considering if and how Alternative Student Finance (ASF) could be delivered as part of the LLE.We believe it is sensible to align future delivery of an ASF product with these major reforms to ensure fair treatment for all students.

Care Homes: Special Educational Needs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to address the high level of staff vacancy in residential specialist colleges that are also registered care homes.

Alex Burghart: It is essential that all learners in the further education (FE) sector, including those with complex special needs, experience the highest quality teaching. We recognise that teacher recruitment and retention can be challenging for providers which is why, in the current financial year, the government is investing £50 million in programmes designed to improve the supply and quality of FE teachers. For those specialising in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teaching in the FE sector, we recently announced that we will offer training bursaries worth £15,000 each, tax-free, for a further academic year (2022/23). This should help to boost the supply of teachers with specialist training to support learners with SEND in FE including the specialist college sector.We also recognise the challenges the adult social care sector is currently experiencing in recruiting staff. The Department for Health and Social Care have put in place a range of measures to address this, including £462.5 million in funding to boost recruitment and support existing care work through winter, expansion of the Health and Care Visa to make care worker roles eligible for overseas recruitment, and the Made with Care National Recruitment Campaign which will run until March 2022.

Institutes of Technology: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to establish an Institute of Technology in the London Borough of Havering.

Alex Burghart: The government has established a comprehensive network of 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across England. They are geographically spread across the country and target areas where they are most needed, including Barking and Dagenham, Blackpool, Sunderland, and Dudley. There are no plans at this stage to develop more.In total, 3 of the IoTs serve London, including the East London IoT based at Barking and Dagenham College’s Rush Green campus in the neighbouring Rainham and Dagenham constituency. The London City IoT is situated in the nearby East Ham, and Bethnal Green and Bow constituencies. All London IoTs have good public transport links and we envisage that their catchment areas will include learners in the London Borough of Havering.

Schools: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to prevent headteachers from requiring children to wear masks in schools following the end of compulsory indoor mask mandates.

Mr Robin Walker: On 21 February, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out the next phase of the government’s COVID-19 response. COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains.Our priority continues to be to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils. The evidence is clear that being out of education causes significant harm to educational attainment, life chances and mental and physical health. We have worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and the United Kingdom Health Security Agency produce guidance.While face coverings are no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors in classrooms or communal areas, schools should consider seeking additional public health advice if they are concerned about managing risks to face-to-face education and are considering additional measures, either by phoning the DfE helpline (0800 046 8687, option 1) or in line with other local arrangements.Individual schools continue to have responsibility for putting in place proportionate control measures in compliance with health and safety law, to ensure they meet their health and safety duties.Decision-makers should endeavour to keep any measures in education and childcare to the minimum number of providers or groups possible, and for the shortest amount of time possible.Providers must regularly review and update their risk assessments - treating them as ‘living documents’, as the circumstances in their school, college or nursery and the public health advice changes. This includes having active arrangements in place to monitor whether the controls are effective and working as planned.Face coverings in communal areas may temporarily, and exceptionally, be advised by Directors of Public Health (DsPH):● for an individual provider, as part of their responsibilities in outbreak management● for providers across areas where the department and public health experts judge the measure to be proportionate, based on the evidence public health experts share with the department and specific local public health concerns. For example, where the area has been designated as an enhanced response area, and where transmission patterns may put exceptional local pressure on the healthcare system. This is a temporary measure.Face coverings in classrooms and teaching spaces may temporarily, and exceptionally, be advised by DsPH for an individual provider, as part of their responsibilities in outbreak management.In all cases any educational and wellbeing drawbacks in the recommended use of face coverings should be balanced with the benefits in managing transmission. Where recommended, the use of face coverings should be kept under regular review and lifted as soon as the evidence supports doing so. Further information can be found in the Contingency Framework: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1053310/Contingency_framework.pdf.

GCE A-level: Assessments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the average proportion of A-Level grades that are changed following an appeal (a) nationally and (b) in the London Borough of Havering.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that grading of (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level examinations are accurate.

Mr Robin Walker: These are matters for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Dr Jo Saxton, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Department for Education: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Michelle Donelan: The department’s estate does not have any reliance on a private wire network. The department is not accountable for any school’s reliance. The responsible bodies for the school estate are legally local authorities and/or academy trusts.

Absenteeism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the levels of pupil absence from schools in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to help tackle pupil absenteeism schools.

Mr Robin Walker: Detailed pupil absence data is collected as part of the school census and published on a termly basis. All absence data for England, including data at regional and local authority level, is available via the national statistics releases: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk.Data from autumn term of academic year 2020/21 shows that Romford had an overall absence rate of 3.9%, whilst 12.4% of sessions were recorded as pupils not attending in circumstances related to COVID-19. During this time, nationally, the overall absence rate was 4.7% and 7% of sessions were recorded for pupils not attending in circumstances relating to COVID-19.The table below shows full year absence data for Romford compared to national. School census data was not collected in academic year 2019/20 because of the disruption to face to face education caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. 2016/172017/182018/19 RomfordNationalRomfordNationalRomfordNationalOverall absence rate4.64.74.54.84.34.7Persistent absence rate10.710.810.611.29.810.9 To support stronger attendance, the department has a comprehensive attendance strategy to ensure that absence is minimised. We are continuing to closely monitor absence levels and trends.My right hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Education, has established an alliance of national leaders from education, children’s social care and allied services to work together to raise school attendance and reduce persistent absence. The Attendance Action Alliance has pledged to take a range of actions to remove barriers preventing children attending school. Full details of the work being taken forward can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/attendance-alliance-group.We need to ensure the lessons learned during the COVID-19 outbreak help us strengthen and improve the school attendance system to ensure the absence facing us today does not become perpetual. Therefore, the department is also reviewing the system as a whole. As part of this, we have recently launched an attendance consultation which seeks views on proposals to build on schools, trusts, and local authorities existing work for attendance and improve the consistency of attendance support for families across England. Information on this is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-attendance-improving-consistency-of-support.The department has also appointed a team of expert attendance advisers. The advisers are working closely with a number of local authorities and multi-academy trusts (MATs) who are keen to improve their attendance practice and reduce persistent absence. They will support MATs and local authorities to review their current approach and help them to develop an action plan to improve.The department continues to make clear that schools and local authorities should identify pupils who may be disengaged from education and develop plans to re-engage them.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to review imprisonment for public protection sentences.

Kit Malthouse: The Government keeps the operation of sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) under constant review. This includes continuing to ensure that IPP prisoners, as well as all prisoners serving indeterminate sentences, have every opportunity to progress towards safe release. This approach is working, with high numbers of unreleased IPP prisoners achieving a release decision each year. The number of IPP prisoners who have never been released stood at 1,602 on 31 December 2021, down from over 6,000 at its peak. This Government has brought forward an amendment relating to IPP licence terminations as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill, which is currently before Parliament. IPP offenders are eligible for Parole Board consideration of whether their IPP licence should be terminated, once 10 years has elapsed since their first release. The Bill will require the Secretary of State to refer all eligible IPP offenders to the Parole Board for consideration of licence termination. This will ensure that eligible IPP offenders have every opportunity to have their licence terminated. The Government welcomes the Justice Select Committee inquiry into the IPP sentence and will carefully consider the recommendations in the final report.

Ministry of Justice: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

James Cartlidge: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.The Ministry of Justice employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Prison Sentences

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many custodial sentences of six months or less have been handed down by courts in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice has published information on sentencing outcomes in England and Wales up to December 2020, available in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, which can be found here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In the data tool, the number of defendants, by year, who received a custodial sentence of 6 months or less can be found on rows 55 – 59.

Dartmoor Prison: Finance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to allocate funding for facilities at HMP Dartmoor.

Victoria Atkins: In December 2021, HMPPS agreed the principal terms of a new lease with the Duchy of Cornwall. Subject to final agreement, HMP Dartmoor will remain operational as a prison beyond the end of 2023, when the existing lease expires. This will protect jobs in the rural south-west of England, as well as preserving 640 much-needed prison places. I am committed to ensuring that conditions in Dartmoor are fit for purpose. HMPPS will deliver a number of significant infrastructure upgrades to improve physical conditions, following agreement of the lease. These include major investment in roof and gate upgrades, as well as planned work to replace all lighting across the prison.

Family Courts: Pilot Schemes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on piloting (a) integrated domestic abuse courts and (b) other new types of family courts.

James Cartlidge: We are committed to improving the family court experience for survivors of domestic abuse and their children. On 21 February 2022, we launched the Integrated Domestic Abuse Court pilot in courts in Dorset and North Wales. The pilot is testing a new approach to dealing with certain private law proceedings. It moves away from the adversarial model and towards a more investigative, problem-solving approach based on the features and risk profile of a case. The pilot courts will be able to offer out of court issue resolution for cases with no safeguarding concerns by incorporating referral or signposting to local or digital resources. Family Drug and Alcohol Courts are another new type of family court. These courts provide a problem-solving approach to care proceedings, specialising in alcohol and substance misuse. In this approach, a team of substance misuse specialists, domestic violence experts, psychiatrists and social workers carry out an early assessment and agree an intervention plan with parents who come before the court in care proceedings. The Family Drug and Alcohol Courts model is delivered by the Centre for Justice and Innovation, and the Department for Education is the lead government department with responsibility in this area.

Reoffenders: Gender

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of breaking down the reoffending rates of former prisoners by gender.

Kit Malthouse: We routinely produce proven reoffending statistics of offenders released from custody or who received a caution or non-custodial conviction at court, but we do not produce solely for those released from custody.Proven reoffending rates are available by gender in Table A2 Proven reoffending statistics: January to March 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Domestic Abuse: Courts

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was in 2021 of employing Independent Domestic Violence Advocates, District Judges, Lay Magistrates, and other essential individuals in the administration of Special Domestic Violence Courts.

Tom Pursglove: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold the data requested at the detailed level of Special Domestic Violence Courts. HMCTS does not hold data on the costs of Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVC) in operation in England and Wales. This is because the principles of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts (SDACs) are increasingly embedded across all magistrates’ courts in England and Wales. SDACs bring together highly trained personnel and support services for victims. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), together with the police and HMCTS, implemented a Domestic Abuse Best Practice Framework for use across all magistrates’ courts. This Framework is the result of a Criminal Justice System (CJS) wide initiative to identify common components from high performing courts. Its aim is to improve the capacity and capability of the whole CJS to respond effectively to reports of domestic abuse.

Housing: Prisoners' Release

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's definition is of a satisfactory accommodation outcome for women released from prison.

Kit Malthouse: The challenges facing women released from prison seeking accommodation are fully recognised. Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision, including female offenders, is released from prison homeless. To achieve this, HMPPS launched a new transitional accommodation service providing up to 12 weeks accommodation and support for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness. The service was initially launched last July in five probation areas in England. By 2024-5, we will spend £200m per year to reduce reoffending, including expanding the provision to support the thousands of people, male and female, across England and Wales who leave prison each year without accommodation. The service takes account of the needs of women with accommodation provision dedicated to single gender usage as required. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) launched their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme on 28 July 2021 to support offenders at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Overall, this financial year, £13 million has been allocated to 87 schemes across 145 local authorities. Combined with our temporary accommodation service, this builds a pathway from prison to settled accommodation.

Ministry of Justice: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

James Cartlidge: The Government Property Agency (GPA) acts as a landlord to government department clients, including Cabinet Office, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice and others.I refer the hon. Member to PQ 58831.GPA has started a Net Zero Offices Programme, which seeks to remove fossil fuel boilers (where they have reached end of economic life) and replace them with more environmental forms of heating such as use of air source heat pumps and, in the case of the Whitehall District Heating System, the utilisation of ground source heat pumps. The Net Zero Offices Programmes is seeking funding for its heat decarbonisation projects through applications to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2022 to Question 109322 on Prisoners' Release: Females, whether he has a targets to reduce the proportion of women recorded as being homeless or rough sleeping at the point of release.

Kit Malthouse: Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-25 we will spend £200 million a year to reduce reoffending, including expanding the transitional accommodation service across England and Wales to support those leaving prison without accommodation. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) launched their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme on 28 July 2021 to support offenders at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Overall, this financial year, £13 million has been allocated to 87 schemes across 145 local authorities. Combined with our temporary accommodation service, this builds a pathway from prison to settled accommodation. Our Female Offender Strategy (2018) committed to pilot Residential Women’s Centres, offering an intensive, rehabilitative residential support package in the community for women at risk of short custodial sentences and move-on to settled accommodation. Our first Residential Women’s Centre will be located in Wales. The HM Prisons and Probation Service Target Operating Model for probation services in England and Wales, published in February 2021, included a target on the number of individuals being housed on release from custody (90%). There is an additional metric concerning settled accommodation for all supervised individuals (those released from prison and those on community sentences) three months after commencement of their supervision (80%). These targets are the same for both male and female offenders.

Reoffenders: Costs

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the (a) economic and (b) social effects of reoffending in each year since 2018.

Kit Malthouse: We know that the economic and social cost of reoffending is approximately £18 billion per year.The Prisons Strategy White Paper, published in December 2021, sets out this Government’s ambitious plans to reduce reoffending. We will spend £200 million a year by 2024-25 to improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment and further measures for early intervention to tackle youth offending. This builds on the Beating Crime Plan, published in July 2021, in which this Government committed to beat crime and swiftly bring criminals to justice.Getting prison leavers into sustained employment is an important part of our work and to support this we will change the law so that prisoners are able to apply for apprenticeship opportunities in vital industries, including hospitality and construction, providing direct routes into jobs with businesses in the community.This investment and strategy will protect the public, help individuals turn their backs on crime and reduce the cost of reoffending to society.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have been released from prison in each of the last three years for which records are available; how many of those prisoners were released to (a) a fixed address, (b) HMPPS bridging accommodation and (c) no fixed address; and how many of those released to no fixed address have (i) reoffended and (ii) reoffended and returned to prison.

Kit Malthouse: The number of female individuals released from prison to no fixed address and subsequently (i) reoffended and (ii) reoffended and returned to prison is provided in the table below: Number of adult female reoffenders with no fixed address, 2017/18 to 2019/20, England and Wales1, 2, 3 2017/182018/192019/20Total number of adult female offenders released from prison5,5784,9164,494Number of female reoffenders with no fixed address3559551511Number of female reoffenders with no fixed address who returned to prison 4311328269NotesA proven reoffence is defined as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period that leads to a court conviction or caution in the one year follow-up period or within a further six-month waiting period to allow the offence to be proven in court.The annual average figures have been calculated by taking an average of the four preceding three monthly offender cohorts. This may therefore result in a single offender being included in an annual cohort more than once.No fixed address includes individuals who identify as sleeping rough; and individuals who identify as homeless but have not been identified as sleeping rough. In some cases, it is not recorded whether an individual that is identified as homeless is rough sleeping. These cases have been included in this category.Figures are based on the first reoffence for which an offender returned to custody. Each offender will therefore only appear once in this category.Data relating to settled accommodation, unsettled accommodation and bail/probation accommodation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics#community-performance-statistics. We are working together with the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to help prisons leavers find a settled place to live, through access to private rented sector accommodation via DLUHC’s £13m Accommodation for Ex-Offender scheme (AfEO). The scheme is aimed at moving prison leavers into settled accommodation before the expiry of the 12 weeks provided through our temporary accommodation service, by enabling Local Authorities to source private rented sector accommodation via deposits and/or rent in advance. Our Prisons White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-25 we will spend £200 million a year to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation.

Parental Responsibility: Grandparents

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) legal and (b) financial challenges faced by grandparents in gaining care rights of their grandchildren in the event of one or both child's parents dying.

Tom Pursglove: In the unfortunate circumstance of the death of a parent, a child is cared for by a remaining parent or any other person with parental responsibility, such as a guardian, or any other person with a child arrangements order as to living or contact arrangements. Grandparents can apply to be a guardian, or seek permission to be a special guardian, or for a child arrangements order as to contact or with whom the child is to live (where permission is required, it can be applied for at the same time as the main application). The child’s welfare always remains paramount in deciding care for a child in such circumstances. In the even more distressing circumstance of the death of both parents, a child first becomes the responsibility of the courts who look to whether there are any others with parental responsibility, and to whether either or both parents left a will expressing wishes as to care of the child, and would look to appoint a guardian for the child. Again, grandparents can apply for guardianship or permission for a child arrangements order. The child’s welfare remains the court’s paramount consideration. We are looking at the scope for extending legal aid for applications for special guardianship in private law proceedings as part of wider consideration of the civil legal aid scheme more generally.

Treasury

Health and Social Care Levy

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish all analysis carried out by the (a) Treasury or (b) HMRC to apply the Family Test to the Health and Social Care Levy.

Mr Simon Clarke: As part of the policy making process, HMRC make a qualitative assessment of the impacts of tax policies on families and publish this analysis in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). The TIIN for the Health and Social Care Levy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-social-care-levy/health-and-social-care-levy.

Bank Services: Charities and Clubs

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department has issued to banks on the opening of bank accounts by charitable organisations and clubs.

John Glen: The decisions about what products are offered and to whom remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies. While the government recognises the important role of the third sector, it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions We are aware that some stakeholders would like the government to take action to see banks offering bespoke service to all UK businesses, including not-for-profit organisations. However, the government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that could ultimately lead to higher costs for business customers, including charitable organisations and clubs.

Treasury: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Helen Whately: Departmental resources are used to produce communications products, including social media videos and graphics, which are distributed through a range of channels, primarily HM Treasury accounts. Ministers may also include these materials on their own social media channels; however, HM Treasury has spent no funds producing social media videos and graphics exclusively for ministerial social media accounts in this time period.

Railways: Passengers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a reduction in the Air Passenger Duty for domestic flights on trends in the level of the number of rail passengers.

Helen Whately: At Budget, the Government announced that, from April 2023, it will introduce a new reduced domestic band of Air Passenger Duty (APD) set at £6.50 for economy passengers. The new domestic band will cover flights between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in order to support connectivity across the UK. As a result, around 9 million passengers will pay less APD in 2023-24. The Government will also introduce a new ultra long-haul band, which will ensure that those who fly furthest, and have the greatest environmental impact, will pay the most. Full details of the consultation on aviation tax reform can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-aviation-tax-reform More widely, the Government has committed more than £12 billion to maintain rail services since the start of the pandemic and another £5.7 billion will be spent between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to keep essential rail services running as we emerge from the pandemic and to deliver reforms which enable the railway to become a modern and efficient service. This is in addition to over £35 billion of capital investment over the Spending Review period including High Speed Two rail enhancements and vital renewals to boost connectivity across the country.

Investment Income

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of companies that received support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that issued dividends of £1 million or more in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any companies that  issued dividends of £1 million or more in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22 have repaid or returned support received through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Lucy Frazer: An estimate of the number of companies that received support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) that issued dividends of £1 million or more in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22, and an estimate of whether any of these companies have repaid or returned support received is not available. Data on dividends issued by companies and of claims made through the CJRS are not held together in the same system and undertaking the analysis to do the estimate requested could only be done at disproportionate cost to HMRC.

Alcoholic Drinks: VAT

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of lowered VAT on (a) beer, (b) cider and (c) other alcoholic beverages will have on rates of harmful drinking among (i) young people and (ii) other age groups in the UK.

Lucy Frazer: VAT is a tax on consumption. The standard rate of 20 per cent applies to most goods and services, including alcoholic beverages such as beer and cider. The Government has no plans to review this VAT treatment.

Gift Aid

Jeff Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish updated statistics for the amount of Gift Aid that is unclaimed each year.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to help reduce the amount of Gift Aid that is unclaimed each year.

Helen Whately: The Government is committed to proving support to the charitable sector worth over £5 billion per year. Gift Aid - a key part of this - is one of the most generous tax reliefs available – worth £1.4 billion per year to charities and £500 million to their donors (through higher rate relief). In March 2018 HM Revenue and Customs published research on charitable giving and Gift Aid and the key findings were that, for the 12-month period up to January 2016, £560m of Gift Aid was not claimed where it could have been and £180m of Gift Aid was incorrectly claimed. However, as neither charities nor their donors are required to tell the Government about donations on which Gift Aid is eligible but not claimed, there is no administrative data to publish. Therefore, the 2018 figures have not been updated. HM Revenue and Customs works closely with the charity sector to help ensure donors are aware of Gift Aid and are able to make informed decisions about whether or not they qualify for the relief but ultimately it is a choice for the donor. The Government is always open to new ideas to improve eligible Gift Aid take-up and to ensure that Gift Aid is fit for the future.

Agriculture: Red Diesel

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether businesses that support and are associated with the agricultural industry will be permitted to use red diesel in their machinery from 1 April 2022; and whether he plans to provide financial support to businesses that fall outside the exemptions for use of that fuel in the context of increased cost associated with changing to white diesel being passed on to their customers in the agricultural sector.

Helen Whately: At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022. This will help to ensure fairness between the different users of diesel fuels and that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. The activities accepted as falling within the definition of agriculture, horticulture and forestry (and which will continue to be eligible to use rebated fuel from April 2022) are already defined in HMRC Excise Notice 75. HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022 To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.

Question

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2022 to Question 125215 on Export Controls, if he will list the countries where the items for export were exported to, which were subject to fines by HMRC for unlicensed export under the Export Control Order 2008 between March to November 2021.

Lucy Frazer: As set out in the answer given to PQ UIN 125215 on 23 February 2022, information on HMRC enforcement outcomes is published in the Strategic Export Controls Annual Reports, which are available on the GOV.UK website. In line with the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, HMRC cannot list the countries to which the goods were exported, because to do so would disclose information about an identifiable ‘person’.

Deposit Return Schemes: VAT

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, wither VAT be charged on the 20p deposit on drinks containers under the deposit return scheme.

Lucy Frazer: The Government supports the environmental aims of deposit return schemes and will continue working to ensure they operate effectively within the VAT rules. VAT is charged on the supply of most bottled drinks. In such cases where the price of a drink includes a deposit on the bottle, VAT is due on the whole price. This is in line with the VAT principle that applies to deposits generally. It is also consistent with the rules in some other countries with a deposit return scheme. HM Treasury continues to engage with the industry, including soft drinks producers, to explore the issues around the design and implementation of deposit return schemes.

Charities: Energy

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide financial support to charitable and faith groups for increasing energy costs.

Helen Whately: The Government recognises the impact rising energy prices will have on organisations of all sizes, and the contribution charitable and faith groups have provided through their work during the pandemic and beyond. To support the sector though these challenges, we provided an unprecedented multi-billion-pound package of support for Britain's charities during the pandemic, including £750 million of dedicated funding that has helped more than 15,000 organisations across the country respond to the impact of Covid-19. On 9 September 2021, the Government also announced the Faith New Deal Pilot Fund. Funding is available through a competitive grant programme for faith groups working on community projects in collaboration with local agencies and philanthropy.

Energy Bills Rebate

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the £200 energy bill rebate on young people moving out of their homes in the next five years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the £200 energy bill rebate on people that do not currently own a home but will be purchasing one within the next five years.

Helen Whately: All domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 reduction in their electricity costs from this October. This will be delivered via energy suppliers and will be clearly identifiable as a line item on electricity bills. To spread the cost of the reduction as widely as possible, all domestic energy consumers will pay a charge in future years. This will be reflected by Ofgem in the price cap for future years, and sufficient notice will be given to suppliers to price it into fixed and other tariffs. There will be cases where changes in people’s personal circumstances mean they may not directly be the recipient of the reduction, but still pay charges in future bills, or vice versa. The £200 reduction will help households manage the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years. The reduction will give households time for their finances to adjust rather than having to deal with the whole price increase up front, providing relief to millions of households.

Off-payroll Working

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been re-claimed by contractors since the introduction of IR35 rules in April 2021.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contractors to the public sector have reclaimed tax since the introduction of IR35 rules in April 2021.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been reclaimed by contractors to the public sector since the introduction of IR35 rules in April 2021.

Lucy Frazer: When, after a compliance check, HMRC identifies that a client has failed to deduct tax and National Insurance as a result of a status determination error under the off-payroll working rules, contractors may be entitled to claim for tax they have paid that is no longer due. HMRC is not aware of any claims made by contractors in relation to settled compliance cases since April 2021.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Multilateral Aid: Forced Labour

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK taxpayer funding provided to the International Finance Corporation is not used to support companies benefiting from forced labour.

Amanda Milling: The UK remains committed to tackling the issue of Uyghur forced labour in global supply chains, working with our international partners. The International Finance Corporation (IFC)'s Performance Standard 2 defines IFC clients' responsibilities for managing labour and working conditions, and precludes the IFC from supporting clients which employ forced labour. People affected by IFC projects can register complaints through the independent Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsmen. The UK has been working with the IFC and other development finance institutions to develop stronger safeguards to reduce the risk of forced labour in supply chains.

Russia: Sanctions

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with (a) NATO and (b) EU member states on the potential merits of introducing secondary sanctions in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine to apply to non-UK, NATO, EU and Russian firms and individuals, irrespective of location, that are engaged in certain transactions related to specified sectors of the Russian economy.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with EU, NATO and other international counterparts. On 1 March new legislation was laid in parliament on financial measures including sovereign debt, clearing and securities measures and trade measures including export controls on dual use high-tech products. The UK's sanctions have been coordinated with international allies to impose a severe cost on Putin and his regime. The Government seeks to ensure sanctions measures are targeted and avoid unintended consequences. Companies doing business with countries subject to sanctions must accept the risks of doing so however, just as they accept other political and market risks. This was carefully co-ordinated with our allies including the US, the EU, and G7 partners.

Tanzania: Politics and Government

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the political situation in Tanzania.

Vicky Ford: We welcome the Government of Tanzania's efforts to rebuild relationships with international governments and institutions, and overseas investors. I met President Samia Suluhu Hassan at COP26, where we discussed regional security, rule of law issues, COVID-19 and climate change. The Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Tanzania, Lord Walney, visited Tanzania in November 2021, for the inaugural Tanzania-UK Business Forum. The Forum brought together business and government and agreed on the importance of reducing barriers to bilateral trade and investment. Our Official Development Assistance, in collaboration with Tanzania, prioritises education and health, including supporting the Prime Minister's global target on girls' education. We also enjoy ongoing close collaboration with Tanzania on tackling serious & organised crime and corruption.

Madagascar: Storms

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to supplement humanitarian support provided in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Batsirai following Tropical Cyclone Emnati in Madagascar.

Vicky Ford: The UK has allocated £1,000,000 in humanitarian funding to support the response to the cyclone and tropical storm. This money is allocated through UNICEF and also a contribution to a Red Cross Emergency Appeal. Ahead of these weather events we have shared data and expertise from the UK Met Office, allowing partners to better prepare.The UK is also a contributor to several pooled funding mechanisms which have made allocations to the cyclone response in Madagascar, including the Red Cross Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (approx. £600,000), the Start Network (£635,000) and the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (approximately £1,800,000).

Malawi: Humanitarian Situation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the health and humanitarian situation in Malawi.

Vicky Ford: The UK delivers a substantial package of support to Malawi; we are proud to have been one of their biggest partners in responding to the challenges of COVID-19, and we are delivering aid programmes focused on strengthening systems so that the country is better equipped to respond to future shocks. This includes partnering with the Government of Malawi in upgrading health facilities, and providing cost-free access to health services, especially in remote areas.Tropical storm Ana recently caused extensive damage to a densely populated and already food insecure part of Malawi. I spoke to President Chakwera on 2 February to express my condolences. In response to the storm, the UK is providing financial support to the multi-donor 'Start Fund' to help address the immediate needs of over 20,000 storm victims in the worst-hit districts in Malawi. This support includes cash, food, and support with accessing clean water.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Russia

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of support by the UK and partners for peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help prevent the involvement of (a) the Wagner Group and (b) other Russian state-backed operations.

Vicky Ford: The UK is committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in DRC. In 2021/22, the UK will contribute approximately £45 million and three military staff officers to the UN Peacekeeping Mission, MONUSCO. MONUSCO works to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel, and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence and to address conflict for example through stabilisation support and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of armed groups. The DRC Government retains ultimate responsibility for security and stability, and we regularly discuss the importance of ensuring coherence, transparency, accountability and protection of civilians in security operations. The UK remains deeply concerned by the destabilising role the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, is playing in Africa. As I have said previously, the Wagner Group is a driver of conflict and capitalises on instability for its own interests, as we have seen in other countries affected by conflict such as Libya and the Central African Republic. Wagner does not offer long-term security answers in Africa.

Russia: Sudan

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on engagement with the coup authorities in Sudan of the visit of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to Moscow in February 2022.

Vicky Ford: We are aware of longstanding engagement between Russia and Sudan, including support to the military authorities. I have regularly voiced UK concern at Russia's influence across Africa, which capitalises on instability for their own interests. As such we are concerned by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo's recent visit to Moscow.Since the October 2021 coup, FCDO officials have engaged with all parties to encourage dialogue, demonstrate support for the democratic transition and an end to human rights abuses. The UK will continue to do so and, with our international partners, maintain pressure on the Sudanese military to deliver the Sudanese people's demands for freedom, peace and justice.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help secure continuous routes for food and medical supplies into Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The PM announced on 27 February a significant new package of humanitarian support for Ukraine and the region, including £40 million of funding and the deployment of humanitarian experts to the region following Russia's invasion of the country, and announced further emergency and humanitarian aid on 1 March. This package of funding will help partners stand up their response to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the region, ensuring Ukrainians have access to basic necessities and medical supplies including; medicines, syringes, dressings and wound care packs, as people are forced to flee from their homes and seek safety. The UK experts will bolster the UK's support to countries surrounding Ukraine to receive and support the increasing flow of refugees fleeing the country - including providing logistics advice and analysis of needs on the ground.

Ukraine: Refugees

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to prepare support for the passage of potential refugees fleeing conflict in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The PM announced on 27 February a significant new package of humanitarian support for Ukraine and the region, including £40 million of funding and the deployment of humanitarian experts to the region following Russia's invasion of the country, and announced further emergency and humanitarian aid on 1 March. This package of funding will help partners stand up their response to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the region, ensuring Ukrainians have access to basic necessities and medical supplies including; medicines, syringes, dressings and wound care packs, as people are forced to flee from their homes and seek safety. The UK experts will bolster the UK's support to countries surrounding Ukraine to receive and support the increasing flow of refugees fleeing the country - including providing logistics advice and analysis of needs on the ground.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect the democratic rights and self-determination of people living in Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK is working closely with our Allies and partners, including the US, to make clear our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that we will not accept Russia's campaign to subvert its democratic neighbours.The Foreign Secretary spoke with her G7 Foreign Ministers on 22 February. G7 leaders spoke on 24 February, and agreed a strong package of coordinated sanctions in response to Russia's actions. The Prime Minister also met NATO leaders on 25 February.I [Minister Cleverly], said on 17 February at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine in New York that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission continued to command our full support. The rights of all Ukrainians, whether they are in Kyiv, Lviv, Donetsk or Luhansk, can only be served by peace, diplomacy, and dialogue.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on 10 February, "The UK is resolute in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and right to self-determination. We urge Russia to de-escalate and choose the path of diplomacy.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Development Aid

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance was distributed to the UNHCR in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

James Cleverly: The Statistics on International Development (SID) National Statistics report, published on the gov.uk website, provides an overview of all official UK spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA is an international measure and is collected and reported on a calendar year basis.Details of the 2020 figures can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-aid-spend-2020. The FCDO will publish "Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2021" in the Autumn.

North Korea: Religious Freedom

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Korea Future's 2021 report, Persecuting Faith: Documenting religious freedom violations in North Korea, Volume 2, what steps he is taking to help prevent the persecution of (a) Christians and (b) followers of other faiths in North Korea.

Amanda Milling: We regularly raise our concerns about human rights violations directly with the North Korean authorities and at the UN, and recently discussed the human rights situation in the DPRK during a closed session of the UN Security Council on 15 December 2021.The UK co-sponsored (alongside 59 other countries) the resolution on DPRK human rights adopted at the UN General Assembly on 16 December 2021. The resolution sends an unequivocal message to the DPRK Government and reiterates long-held demands of the international community for the DPRK regime to take concrete action to end the systemic and widespread human rights violations in the country, and to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief. We will work with partners at the Human Rights Council in March 2022 to secure a strong and clear resolution on DPRK human rights.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Development Assistance Committee chair of the OECD's statement of 15 February 2022, what value will be attributed to one syringe for the administering of a covid-19 vaccine when reporting Overseas Development Aid.

Amanda Milling: The OECD Development Assistance Committee has clarified that costs related to the donation of COVID vaccine doses, such as syringes, are eligible for ODA reporting. This will be in line with the Development Assistance Committee Reporting Directives for donations in-kind. These state that, where possible, donations should be reported at the international or national market price. Where this is not possible, they should be reported at the price paid by the donor when acquiring the goods.

Iran: International Military Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) progress she has made on reaching an agreement with Iran on the repayment of the IMS debt and (b) commitment she has made to not renege on any repayment agreed by UK negotiators.

James Cleverly: The IMS debt is a longstanding issue and we have been consistently clear that we continue to explore options to resolve this case. We will not comment further as discussions are ongoing.

Russia: Sanctions

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of removing Russia from the SWIFT international banking system.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary announced the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions for Russia.The UK and others have committed to removing selected Russian banks from SWIFT and alongside the US and EU the UK is targeting Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR) to prevent it from using its international reserves to undermine the impact of our sanctions.On 1 March, new legislation will be laid in parliament on financial measures including sovereign debt, clearing and securities measures and trade measures including export controls on dual use high-tech products.The financial measures will prevent Russian banks from clearing payments in sterling and will apply to Russia's largest bank - Sberbank. They will also prevent the Russian state from raising debt in the UK and will isolate all Russian companies - of which there are over three million - from access to UK capital markets.

India: Muslims

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of alleged reports of (a) violence and (b) discrimination targeted at Muslim women in India; and what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on this.

Vicky Ford: We condemn any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. We look to India to uphold all freedoms and rights guaranteed in its strong constitution and by the international instruments to which India is a party. Where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at ministerial level. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Human Rights, last discussed human rights in India during his visit in July 2021.We engage with India on a range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to build capacity and promote human rights for all. The British High Commission (BHC) in Delhi regularly assesses human rights across India. Our officials in India work closely with Indian civil society and non-governmental organisations to promote gender equality and tackle gender-based violence. We have worked with the Madhya Pradesh Police's Gender Resource Centre to train a core group of officers on tackling crimes against women. We also regularly meet religious representatives and have run projects supporting minority rights. The BHC supports a UK-India Interfaith Leadership Programme for emerging Indian faith leaders, including Muslims, to build expertise on leading modern inclusive communities and promote values of tolerance and multi-culturalism. The UK will host an international Ministerial conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2022 to energise collective efforts on this agenda. We also work with the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, G7 and other multilateral fora to promote our objectives.

Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to use OECD Development Assistance Committee markers to measure disability.

Vicky Ford: FCDO official development assistance programmes use the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) disability inclusive policy marker. The FCDO includes this marker in the annual statistical return made to the OECD DAC.

Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will publish an annual progress report in relation to their disability inclusion strategy.

Vicky Ford: On 16 February 2022 I launched a new Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy, which reaffirms the UK's commitment to disability rights and sets out a vision and approach towards 2030. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will review the strategy and delivery plans periodically.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Buildings

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military accommodation buildings with combustible cladding will be rectified by 31 December 2022.

Jeremy Quin: 26 high rise buildings with combustible external wall systems have been identified on the Defence Estate. All buildings have a current fire risk assessment and remain legally compliant for continued occupation. Remediation work on one building, Vanguard Building at HMS Nelson, is due to be completed by the 31 March 2022. The remaining 25 buildings have been surveyed and the outcomes are now being assessed to determine the level of required remediation action. One building will be replaced with a new build. 728 low rise buildings that may potentially have an external walling system that contains combustible insulation have also been identified. A programme is underway to collect further detailed data to allow the risk to be assessed.

Ministry of Defence: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Jeremy Quin: Details of Critical National Infrastructure for which the Department is responsible cannot be released. To do so would constitute a risk to national security.

Electric Vehicles: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for installation of electric vehicle charging points at (a) Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth, (b) Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport and (c) The Royal Citadel in Plymouth.

Jeremy Quin: Plans for the installation of electric vehicle charging points are currently underway in all three locations. In this financial year four will be installed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport and one at The Royal Citadel. In the next financial year there are plans to install three at Stonehouse Barracks, with a further three at The Royal Citadel.

Stonehouse Barracks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much he has allocated to maintenance and upgrades at Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth in each year until its planned closure in 2028.

Jeremy Quin: The Royal Navy is developing new basing options for Royal Marines (RM) based at Stonehouse Barracks. Core contract maintenance and support will continue as normal and investment will be made in the next five years to improve RM living and working environments.

Royal Marines: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to determine long-term basing arrangements for the Royal Marines in Plymouth.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Armed Forces (James Heappey) on 13 April 2021 to Question 174265. Marines: Plymouth (docx, 18.2KB)

Stonehouse Barracks: Globe Theatre

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the future of the Globe Theatre at Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth.

Jeremy Quin: I am not aware of the Department holding any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on this topic.

Air Force: Military Bases

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which RAF bases in the UK his Department has disposed of since 2000; how much each site was sold for; and to whom or what entity each was sold.

Jeremy Quin: A copy of the information relating to those RAF locations where significant Ministry of Defence assets have been disposed of during the period in question is attached.Royal Air Force Bases Sold Since 1 January 2000 (docx, 33.9KB)

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has asked for assistance from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to help ensure that capital budgets within Top Level Budgets are not substantially limited by higher rates of inflation.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and HM Treasury work closely together to understand the impact of economic conditions on the Defence programme. Spending Review 2021 adjusted the MOD’s Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit in response to changes in economic conditions, changes to National Insurance and changes to public sector pay policyand we continue to monitor the impact on our capital spending plans as longer term trends in inflation become clearer.

Nuclear Weapons: Procurement

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 22 June 2021 to Question 20362, whether the Strategic Outline Case for the Government's Replacement Warhead Project has been approved by the Major Projects Review Group; what the (a) budget, (b) end date and (c) projected whole life cost for the project is; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Quin: The programme to replace the UK's Sovereign Nuclear Warhead continues to be subject to across Government scrutiny, oversight, and approvals processes. The Strategic Outline Case for the UK's Replacement Warhead programme was reviewed and approved by the Cabinet Office's Major Programme Review Group in September 2021.The UK's Replacement Warhead will not be required until the 2030s. The programme is still in its early preliminary phases and it is therefore too early to provide a cost estimate at this stage. As the programme develops and goes through the Departmental and Treasury approvals process, the current levels of uncertainty will reduce.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people identified for relocation during Operation Pitting are currently in Afghanistan; and within what time period does he plan to relocate those individuals.

James Heappey: 125 of those approved for relocation during OP PITTING remain in Afghanistan. We are bringing groups of ARAP eligible families as well as those eligible under other government schemes out of Afghanistan as quickly as we can. Others are making their own way to third countries. There is no time period over which we aim to complete this. The situation in Afghanistan is challenging, many individuals are undocumented and third countries need to be persuaded to allow passage. We will keep working at best possible pace and won’t stop until all eligible ARAP personnel have left Afghanistan.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Deductions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the relationship between people owing money to her Department as a result of benefit claims and their use of food banks.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were having deductions taken from them in the most recent month for which data are available, in each parliamentary constituency; what was the average size of sums deducted in each constituency; what the total sum was deducted from claims in each constituency; and what proportion of each sum was deducted to repay advance payments.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Benefit sanctions statistics to October 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of the Social Security Advisory Committee to undertake its statutory scrutiny of the Universal Credit and Jobseeker's Allowance (Work Search and Work Availability Requirements - limitations) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 in the context of the benefit sanction decisions and durations data available to it.

Mims Davies: No assessment has been made. The Social Security Advisory Committee will continue its role to scrutinise statutory regulations and provide advice whilst continuing to have access to sanction statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Benefit sanctions statistics to October 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the absence of benefit sanction (a) decisions and (b) durations data on the ability of Members to scrutinise her Department's policies effectively.

Mims Davies: No assessment has been made. The Department publishes regular Benefit Sanctions statistics and whilst some of the statistics are temporarily unavailable they will be restored as soon as possible.

Jobcentres: Staff

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2022 to Question 122797 on Jobcentres: Staff, whether representatives of PCS Union were consulted on her Way to Work proposals before the policy was announced.

Mims Davies: DWP engages with staff and their Union representatives routinely where there are material changes in the duties and functions of staff. We recognise the importance of the role that meaningful consultation can play, as the Way to Work campaign does not represent a change to the role of the Work Coach we did not undertake discussions with PCS Union prior to its announcement.We continue to monitor the operation of all our policies and processes to ensure they remain clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours and have carefully considered the impact of implementing Way to Work on Jobcentre staff.

Unemployed People: Mental Health

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the 20 February 2022 statement of the British Psychological Society expressing concern that the changes to policy announced as part of the Way to Work initiative could have serious negative consequences on the mental health of jobseekers; and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Way to Work campaign aims to help job-ready claimants into work more quickly, utilising strong relationships with employers to help fill the hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the economy. Way to Work is not a new sanctions policy.   The expectations of a claimant are agreed with them and clearly set out in their Claimant Commitment at the beginning of their Universal Credit (UC) claim. This includes both mandatory and voluntary actions the claimant has agreed to undertake. Any work-related requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored to an individual claimant’s capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable. Way to Work is specifically for those placed in the Intensive Work Search (IWS) conditionality group while on UC. Claimants with health-related support needs will undertake a Work Capability Assessment to determine their conditionality group and, where appropriate, may receive support through the Work and Health Programme. We know the longer a person is out of work, the harder it is for them to get back into work. These changes are intended to accelerate the rate at which people who lose their current job are helped back into employment.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Benefit sanctions statistics to October 2021, if she will publish details of the investigative work on sanction durations conducted by her Department since the publication of that data was suspended.

Mims Davies: The investigation of sanction durations is ongoing and involves the extensive examination and rewriting of complex code to ensure that the methodology is robust. We will provide updates on progress within the bulletin and inform users of the outcome of our investigations once these are complete. We aim to revise the complete series for sanction duration and median sanction length statistics using the improved methodology in line with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics as soon as possible.

Employment: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to (a) level up and (b) ensure appropriate job opportunities are available and accessible to young people in Romford constituency.

Mims Davies: Through our Plan for Jobs, DWP has several targeted schemes to support people of all ages and to help them prepare for and progress into work. The DWP Youth Offer has been extended to 2025 and has expanded eligibility to include 16 and 17-year olds, in addition to 18 to 24-year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit and searching for work through the network of Youth Hubs across England, Scotland and Wales. DWP is also delivering a comprehensive package of support for young people in collaboration with the Department for Education and National Careers Service in England, the Devolved Administrations, and other partners. In September 2021, we opened a new temporary Jobcentre in Romford which provides dedicated support to Havering residents. The Jobcentre has a dedicated Youth Team which provides access to Jobcentre services, current vacancies, apprenticeships, and a broad range of employment skills provision. This includes basic and digital skills courses and employer led Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). In Romford, currently we have SWAPs in the following sectors: health, retail and warehouse, construction, and environmental engineering, although this list is not exhaustive. The local Jobcentre team works closely with Havering Works, the London Borough of Havering employment and skills brokerage service, and a range of local community and voluntary organisations to increase access to services, including employment and skills. A range of employer led skills programmes is also available through our partnership activity with New City College.

Redundancy: Coronavirus

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people made redundant during the Covid-19 outbreak return to work.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions stands ready to support anyone affected by redundancy, with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. This service is co-ordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Delivery partners include The National Careers Service, local training providers, Money Advice Service and the skills bodies in England. These services are offered by equivalents in the devolved administrations. In Scotland this is delivered by PACE on behalf of the Scottish Government and in Wales by REACT. Redundancy support in NorthernIreland is devolved with separate funding and delivery arrangements. The RRS offer has been developed so it can be delivered in a variety of formats including digital and face to face depending on employers and employees requirements. The range of support available from JCP and partners may include: Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market)What benefits they may be entitled to and how to claim.

Disability

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a minute was taken of the meetings held by the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work on (a) 13 July 2021 with (i) Sense, (ii) the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and (iii) the Business Leaders Group and (b) 14 July 2021 with (A) the National Autistic Society and Mencap and (B) Disability Rights UK.

Chloe Smith: There are internal minutes for the meeting held on the 13 July 2021 with the Business Leaders Group. There are no formal minutes, but a record of key points and actions was taken for the meeting held on the 13 July 2021 with Sense, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and on the 14 July 2021 with the National Autistic Society and Mencap and Disability Rights UK.

Workplace Pensions: Part-time Employment

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the increase in tax relief for part-time workers that would result from auto enrolment being extended to those earning under £10,000 a year; and what proportion of that amount would benefit (a) women and (b) men.

Guy Opperman: Under the Pensions Act 2008, the Secretary of State is required to conduct an annual review of the automatic enrolment earnings trigger, as well as the upper and lower limits of the qualifying earnings band (the automatic enrolment thresholds). The review for the 2022/23 thresholds was published on 8 February 2021, here Automatic enrolment: review of the earnings trigger and qualifying earnings band for 2022/23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The earnings trigger, by remaining at £10,000, will bring in an additional 17,000 savers into pension savings, striking a necessary balance between bringing in those most likely to benefit from pension saving with affordability for those individuals and employers. The review estimates that a reduction in the earnings trigger to £6,396 (the National Insurance lower earnings limit) would bring in 214,000 additional workers and increase contributions by £124m in 2022/23, compared to increasing the trigger by average earnings growth. Of this, around £8m would be via increased income tax relief. Of the additional contributions; a) 78% would benefit women and (b) 22% would benefit men.

Workplace Pensions: Young People

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the increase in tax relief for people aged 18-21 that would result from auto-enrolment of pensions being extended to that age group.

Guy Opperman: A full and published impact assessment on the policy options will be completed at a time when legislation is brought forward.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims for which the local housing allowance did not cover rent were subject to deductions for (a) universal credit advances, (b) universal credit overpayments, (c) tax credit overpayments or (d) any combination thereof.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on (a) the median gap between rent and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for those households where rent exceeds the LHA and (b) the median deduction for universal credit claims in the private rented sector for which LHA does not cover the rent and which are subject to deductions, whether for universal credit advances, universal credit overpayments, tax credit overpayments or for any other reason.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will publish its data on the median (a) gap between rent and the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for those households where rent exceeds the LHA and (b) deduction for universal credit claims in the private rented sector for which LHA does not cover the rent and which are subject to deductions for each of: (i) universal credit advances only (ii) universal credit overpayments only (iii)y tax credit overpayments only and any combination of (i) universal credit advances, (ii) universal credit overpayments and (iii) tax credit overpayments, in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Rutley: In the private rental sector, Local Housing Allowance determines the maximum financial support available for renters. In April 2020, we increased Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents at a cost of nearly £1 billion, providing 1.5 million claimants with around £600 more housing support in 20/21 than they would otherwise have received. Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021/22 and will remain at those levels for 2022/23. Median differences between rent and Local Housing Allowance in different broad rental market areas reflect variation in rental markets. We reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance enabling them to retain more of the award. These changes were implemented from October 2019 to April 2021. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension, depending on financial circumstances.  Claims where the Local Housing Allowance is lower than rent (housing shortfall) by selected deduction types, November 2021Deduction typeNumber of claims% of all claimsMedian housing shortfallMedian deductionAdvance or UC Overpayment or Tax Credit Overpayment324,0007%£100£58of whichAdvance only165,0003%£100£42Tax Credit Overpayment only55,0001%£100£61UC Overpayment only38,0001%£125£59Any combination of the above67,0001%£100£80 Any deduction type or advance repayment362,0008%£100£65 Notes:1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percent.2) The Universal Credit Overpayments and Tax Credit Overpayments figures do not include deductions due to fraud.3) Only claims with private rent and housing entitlement have been included when identifying claims where LHA did not cover rent.4) 'Any combination of the above' includes claims with Advance and Tax Credit Overpayments or Advance and UC Overpayments or Tax Credit Overpayments and UC overpayments or all three deduction types.5) Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.6) Latest figures provided for November 2021 in line with published statistics on Universal Credit Households Statistics. 7) Median deduction refers to the specified deduction type8) Figures are for Great Britain.

Pension Credit

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what communications strategy her Department has to help ensure that pensioners who are eligible for but not in receipt of Pension Credit are aware that applying for Pension Credit may entitle them to other top-up payments to other benefits.

Guy Opperman: The Department continues to raise awareness of Pension Credit through the annual uprating mailing, sent to over 11 million pensioners in Great Britain, including those who are eligible for Pension Credit but not claiming. Proactive press and stakeholder activity will also continue.   Our initial internal management information suggests new claims for Pension Credit in the twelve months to December 2021 were around 136,000, representing an increase of around 30% compared to the 12 months to December 2019 when they were around 105,000. It also suggests that we have been receiving consistently high volumes of claims over recent months, at around 3,300 per week.This management information has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided here in the interests of transparency. The impact of these claim volumes on numbers of successful awards and on Pension Credit take-up will take longer to establish given the usual cycle involved in producing those statistics.

State Retirement Pensions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average processing time is for a new state pension claim; how many unprocessed claims for new state pensions her Department holds; what steps she is taking to tackle delays in processing new state pension claims; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: We have deployed significant additional resource onto processing new state pension claims following a backlog in 2021. As a result, all claims received by DWP for UK State Pension should be paid on time, other than for those customers where further information is required or evidence is awaited. State Pension is paid in arrears and, in most instances, the first payment will be due four weeks after the customer’s 66th Birthday.

Pension Credit

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit claimants there are by (a) constituency and (b) region as at 22 February 2022.

Guy Opperman: Quarterly statistics for the number of Pension Credit claimants by (a) constituency and (b) region can be found on Stat-Xplore. The latest figures are for August 2021. https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

Pension Credit: Medical Examinations

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on requiring GPs who see eligible patients to inquire whether they have claimed pension credits and to direct them to the relevant support to do so.

Guy Opperman: The Secretary of State discusses lots of things with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Many GPs and health professionals already signpost patients to other forms of support, including DWP benefits.

Employment Schemes: Dyspraxia

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much financial support her Department has provided to job seekers with dyspraxia in each year of the last ten years.

Chloe Smith: There is no data held or collected that could highlight specific financial support provided to job seekers with dyspraxia. The Government is wholly committed to support those on low income and will continue to do so through such measures as increasing the living wage, and by spending over £110 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22. With a record £59bn being spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. A range of DWP initiatives are supporting disabled people to prepare for, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include the Work and Health Programme, the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on levels of child poverty in Manchester, Gorton constituency.

David Rutley: No such assessment has been made. The Government is up-rating benefits in line with inflation. The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions with reference to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September. The relevant benefits are increasing by 3.1% from April. The latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the six years, 2014/15 to 2019/20, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab). This Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment – particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.

Department for Work and Pensions: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in her Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by her Department as of 21 February 2022.

Guy Opperman: DWP has maintained its services throughout the pandemic with Jobcentres remaining open for anyone who needed face-to-face support and whom we could not help in any other way. When DWP returned to its standard opening hours within our jobcentres in April 2021, we launched a template to support one-to-one discussions between managers and colleagues about returning to the workplace. This template is a document for managers and colleagues to capture key information from these discussions, providing support for conversations about the barriers and concerns that may arise for colleagues in returning to the workplace. The template covers a number of important considerations and topics relating to the health and safety of our colleagues, and includes reasonable and workplace adjustments, risk assessments for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues, mental health support, caring requirements, and wellbeing issues such as referrals to occupational health. The one-to-one template links to a suite of products and supporting mechanisms available to all colleagues across DWP, and has been widely publicised in various communications and channels since its launch. The one-to-one process is focussed on the individual, and was not centrally monitored.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to respond to the letter sent by email from the hon. Member for Glasgow East on 10 January 2022 and 7 February 2022, reference DL10897.

Guy Opperman: Unfortunately, due to an internal error the Department did not receive the letter of 10 January 2022 until 24 February. It is being taken forward and a reply will be issued.

Cold Weather Payments

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a one-off payment to all those eligible for Cold Weather Payments for individuals struggling to pay their energy bills.

Guy Opperman: The Cold Weather Payment scheme helps vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits to meet the additional costs of heating for every week of severe cold weather, between 1 November and 31 March each year. A payment of £25 is made when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0 degrees C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to an eligible person’s postcode. It is paid automatically within 14 working days of a trigger to ensure claimants receive payments at the time of need. £98.8 million was paid out in Cold Weather Payments between 1 November 2020 and 31 March 2021. There are currently no plans to change the Cold Weather Payment scheme.

Money and Pensions Service

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the serving board members at the Money and Pensions Advice Service have been notified that their appointments will not be renewed; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of the current board members at the Money and Pensions Service have been advised their appointments will not be renewed; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: One current non-executive board member at the Money and Pensions Service has been notified that their appointment will not be renewed. In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, there is no automatic presumption of reappointment.

Money and Pensions Service

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many serving board members at the Money and Pensions Advice Service have not had their appointments renewed in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of board members at the Money and Pensions Service have not had their appointments renewed in the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, there is no automatic presumption of reappointment. Two non-executive board members at the Money and Pensions Service have not been re-appointed over the last two years, one in 2020/2021 and one in 2021/2022.

Pensioners: Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to tackle pensioner poverty.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional support is available for elderly people who fall into poverty.

Guy Opperman: We have a comprehensive package of measures to help pensioners. The State Pension is the foundation of support for older people, and the value of it has been steadily increasing since 2010. From April, subject to Parliamentary approval, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be around £720 more in 2022/23 than if it had been up-rated by prices since 2010; a rise of over £2,300 in cash terms. Over the last two years the basic and new State Pension has increased by over 5.6%. In addition, around 1.4 million eligible pensioners across Great Britain receive around £5 billion annually in Pension Credit, which tops up their retirement income and act as a passport to other financial help, such as support with housing costs, council tax, heating bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. The overall trend in the percentage of pensioners living in poverty shows a significant fall over recent decades and there are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty (both before and after housing costs) than in 2009/10. Additional support that is available to pensioners includes the Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300. Cold Weather Payments are payable to those in receipt of Pension Credit and the Warm Home Discount - a rebate of £140 a customer’s energy bill - is available to those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit. From 2022/23 the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount scheme will be extended to focus on means-tested benefit recipients including those on pension credit savings credit with the highest energy costs, providing the rebates automatically through the innovative use of data and the rebate will be increased to £150. Further support for pensioners includes free eye tests and NHS prescriptions worth around £900m every year and free bus passes worth £1bn every year. We recognise that some people may still require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across in England can access the Household Support Fund which provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England. Up to 50% of the Fund is available for councils to spend on households without children, including those of State Pension age. The Chancellor’s announcement on 3 February of a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23, will also be available to eligible pensioners.

Pension Credit

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to ensure maximum take up of pension credit to assist those struggling to afford energy bills.

Guy Opperman: The Department has undertaken a range of actions to raise awareness of Pension Credit and encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. This has included a Pension Credit media day of action in June and working with stakeholders such as the BBC and Age UK.We have also set up the Pension Credit working group, made up of a diverse range of organisations with reach and expertise, and including pensioner charities, the BBC, British Telecom, Virgin Money and the Local Government Association. The group is tasked with identifying new practical initiatives that we can work on together to help increase Pension Credit take up.Over the coming weeks, all pensioners in Great Britain, over 11 million people, will receive information about Pension Credit in a leaflet accompanying their annual up-rating letter. This includes prominent messaging highlighting that an award of Pension Credit can also open the door to a range of additional benefits – not only extra help with fuel costs, but also help with rent and a free over-75 TV licence.Our initial internal management information suggests new claims for Pension Credit in the past twelve months to December 2021 were around 136,000, representing an increase of around 30% compared to the 12 months to December 2019 when they were around 105,000. It also suggests that we have been receiving consistently high volumes of claims over recent months, at around 3,300 per week.This management information has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but are provided here in the interests of transparency.The latest Pension Credit take-up statistics are due for publication on 24 February. These will cover the financial year 2019/20.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve the health assessments process for people with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other relapsing and progressive conditions.

Chloe Smith: We recognise that improvements could be made to the assessment process for health and disability benefits and are committed to making changes in this area. In the Shaping Future Support Green Paper published last year we set out several areas we wish to explore, taking in account feedback from a wide range of stakeholders including disabled people, disability charities, academics and thinktanks to better understand what needs to change, and how. We will follow up on the responses to this Green Paper with a White Paper later this year to outline the changes we want to make.

Personal Independence Payment: Pain

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of personal independence payments where chronic pain is the primary health condition are (a) refused at the initial application stage and (b) overturned at the mandatory reconsideration stage or appeal stage.

Chloe Smith: The table below provides information on initial decisions, mandatory reconsiderations and appeals following a Personal Independence Payment assessment where the primary condition has been determined as chronic pain. Chronic pain has been taken as anyone listed in the chronic pain syndromes subgroup (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and chronic pain syndromes– other), non-specific back pain and specific back pain. The proportion of these figures as a percentage of initial decisions is also included. Initial decisionsDisallowed at initial decisionChanged at reconsideration or appeal after being disallowed at initial decision515,520168,130 (33%)33,050 (6%)  Notes:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics.These figures include initial decisions following assessment for PIP New Claims and Reassessments from the start of the benefit in April 2013 up to 30th June 2021, the latest date for which published data is available.These figures cover mandatory reconsideration and appeal decisions at a tribunal hearing up to 31st September 2021.Decisions that were changed at mandatory reconsideration that were further changed at appeal have only been counted once.A change at appeal includes those that were overturned and those that were lapsed.A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing.

Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to publish a response to the consultation on the Health and Disability Green Paper.

Chloe Smith: Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper was published on 20th July 2021 with a consultation period running to 11th October 2021. We received over 4,500 responses to the Green Paper and we will follow up on these responses with a White Paper later this year.

Access to Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of delay for Access to Work grant applications currently awaiting a decision; what proportion of those applications have been waiting for a decision for longer than six weeks; and what is the longest time for which an application of that type has been awaiting a decision.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is in part not held or not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims remain suspended under the Risk Review Process as of February 2022.

David Rutley: The latest published figures show there are 5.6 million people receiving Universal Credit. As of 17th February 2022, 174,000 claims have been suspended under the Risk Review Process, a percentage of 3.1%. Of the 174,000 claims suspended, Risk Review Team have de-suspended 5,346 claims.  Note: The figures provided have been sourced from internal DWP management information, intended only to help the Department to manage its business and has not been subject to the same quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department requests photo evidence of conditions when claiming disabilities benefits.

Chloe Smith: Claimants of disability and sickness benefits are not asked to provide photographs as part of the claiming process. Various products that support the assessment, including the PIP2, ESA50 and UC50 questionnaires, encourage claimants to provide any evidence they already have, such as medical reports or other information, to support their claim. Our assessment providers and decision makers consider any evidence that claimants provide.

Universal Credit: Disability

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any support in addition to the energy bill rebate will be made available to disabled universal credit claimants.

Chloe Smith: This Government is committed to supporting people on lower incomes through a range of measures, including by spending around £59 billion on people with disabilities and health conditions in 2021/22, which will increase by £3.5 billion to over £62 billion in 2022/23. We have announced our new package of measures worth £9.1bn in 2022-23 to protect the majority of households from half of the forecast £700 rise in energy bills. Alongside this, we are providing £12 billion of support over this financial year and next to ease cost of living pressures, including help for working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable.

Access to Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Access to Work grants are currently awaiting a decision.

Chloe Smith: There are currently 17,940 Access to Work applications awaiting a decision as of 22nd February 2022. Please be aware however that this information is based on internal unpublished data.The Access to Work statistical release includes how many applications results in provision being approved from 2007/08 to 2019/20. Please see Table 1 of the Access to Work statistics.The latest Access to Work statistical release can be found here:Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of Storms (a) Dudley, (b) Eunice and (c) Franklin on the safety of workers on North Sea oil and gas installations; and if she will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The offshore oil and gas health and safety regulatory regime requires duty holders to ensure their installations have, and maintain, sufficient integrity throughout their lifecycle, for all expected degradation mechanisms, including the impact severe weather, to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. This includes severe weather arising from named storms which affect UK waters. Additionally, installation operators are required to have measures in place to mitigate the effects of severe weather on the safety of operations, by altering activities as necessary to reduce risks to the workforce.The recent storms did not result in any reportable incidents to HSE by offshore duty holders. Therefore, HSE does not consider that an assessment of the specific impact of those storms is necessary.

Access to Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Access to Work grants have been decided in each of the last four weeks.

Chloe Smith: The volume of Access to Work applications decided in each of the last four weeks is: Week ending 30/01/2022 = 1,566 applicationsWeek ending 06/02/2022 = 1,426 applicationsWeek ending 13/02/2022 = 1,486 applicationsWeek ending 20/02/2022 = 1,722 applications Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ivory: Overseas Trade

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2022 to Question 120825 on Ivory: Imports, what assessment he has made of reasons for the increase in imports and export permits for bringing ivory into and out of the UK between 2020 and 2021.

Rebecca Pow: Once implemented, the Ivory Act will introduce one of the toughest bans on elephant ivory sales in the world by banning the dealing in items made of or containing elephant ivory, regardless of their age, unless they fall within one of the narrow and carefully defined exemptions. The ban will come into force in spring 2022. The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the reasons for the increase in imports and export permits for bringing ivory into and out of the UK between 2020 and 2021.

Bats: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the use of bat boxes near new developments to help protect bats.

Rebecca Pow: Bat boxes are used within the development context as part of the mitigation measures employed to maintain the conservation status of bats. Recent studies have provided some positive evidence of the effectiveness of bat boxes in the short term and immediate vicinity after development. Evidence of effectiveness in the longer term can be impacted by further works, such as street lighting and further development in the area.

Insurance: Flood Control

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the insurance industry recognises flood resilience measures in its premiums.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of requiring the insurance industry to lower premiums where flood risk is mitigated by resilience measures.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of requiring insurers to request individual property information where a property's flood risk is mitigated by resilience measures.

Rebecca Pow: In July 2021, Government committed to make changes to the Flood Re scheme, that provides affordable insurance to households at high risk of flooding. These will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme and increase the uptake of property flood resilience measures helping communities across the UK to become more resilient to the changing climate. Government laid draft regulations in Parliament on 27 January implementing these changes including allowing insurers to help flooded households to build back better, up to a value of £10,000 above the cost of like-for-like reinstatement. This will make their homes more resilient to future flooding using products such as air brick covers, flood doors and water-resistant kitchens and plasterboard. Government expects the regulations to come into force on 1 April, subject to the will of Parliament. The Government also announced it will publish a roadmap at the end of 2022 that will identify the actions required across industry and Government to successfully grow and underpin the nascent PFR market. The Government is also committed to allow Flood Re, the scheme administrator, to offer discounted premiums for households that have PFR installed and recognises the role it can play in driving behaviour change in the insurance market. The Government plans to give Flood Re the powers to provide discounted premiums when the Government has published the PFR roadmap, and a mechanism is in place to determine eligibility effectively. The Government remains fully committed to implementing this change. We will work closely with Flood Re, the PFR roundtable and the insurance industry as part of the development of the roadmap to determine how best to achieve this.

Trees: Storms

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of trees lost as a result of storm activity in England, since 2020.

Rebecca Pow: The number of trees lost to storm activity is not routinely measured. However, as part of the response to Storm Arwen and subsequent named storms, the Forestry Commission is working with Forest Research, Scottish Forestry and the forestry industry to establish levels of damage sustained by our woodlands. A variety of assessment techniques are being used including satellite imagery, aerial surveys and ground based surveys and use of citizen science via a storm damage verification app. It will take a number of weeks for a comprehensive picture of the damage to emerge. Current estimates of area and location of storm damaged woodlands are published by Forest Research and the estimated area of damage is likely to increase as more data is collected. The current picture suggests damage is locally significant, with some owners experiencing significant losses of timber, but relatively modest in terms of total woodland area.The National Adaptation Programme (NAP) sets the actions that government and others will take to adapt to the challenges of climate change in the UK, this includes goals for woodland resilience. We are also working to improve our woodlands resilience through the development of the Woodland Resilience Implementation Plan, which will improve the ecological condition of our woodlands and increase their resilience to climate change, including more extreme weather events like storms.

Forests and Wildlife: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish (a) a timetable and (b) plans for taking forward the recommendations from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report entitled Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Rebecca Pow: We welcome this report and the fact that it recognises the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment. There is always more we can do to tackle wildlife crime and we will carefully consider all of the UN's recommendations to help us build on the positive progress we have already made. Defra is reviewing the assessment and will monitor action against the report’s recommendations where they apply to the UK government to identify where we can act with stakeholders to strengthen the UK’s approach.

Ivory: Imports

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2022 to Question 120825 on Ivory: Imports, what steps he is taking to end the licensing of ivory items entering the UK.

Rebecca Pow: Import of ivory items into the UK is strictly regulated, as a result of requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to which the UK is a Party and the UK will continue to implement the requirements of the Convention. For ivory items to be imported into the UK they must be accompanied by a CITES import permit. Once commenced, the Ivory Act (2018) will introduce one of the toughest bans on elephant ivory sales in the world, by banning the dealing in items made of or containing elephant ivory, regardless of their age, unless they fall within one of the narrow and carefully defined exemptions. Dealing includes exporting it from the United Kingdom for sale or hire or importing it into the United Kingdom for sale or hire. We plan for the ban to come into force in spring 2022.

Local Government: Storms

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help protect (a) private and (b) local government properties from the effects of Storms Eunice and Dudley.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) uses its flood warning system to directly alert those at risk when flooding is expected so that they can take action to prepare for any impacts. The EA also operates flood gates, erects temporary barriers, clears trash screens of debris and moves pumps and other response equipment to help protect homes and properties from flooding. These activities were carried out in advance of storms Eunice and Dudley and during the subsequent incident response. The Government’s current £5.2 billion investment programme will help better protect hundreds of thousands more properties from flooding and coastal erosion risks. Investment takes place wherever the risk is the highest, wherever it is across the country. This investment will reduce flood and coastal erosion risk to around 1,200 local authority properties such as, council offices, depots, emergency services buildings and libraries, and approximately 4,500 central Government properties like schools, prisons, courts, and healthcare centres, along with approximately 1,000 miles of roads and 1,000 miles of railways. The Environment Agency advises that members of the public and businesses check if their property is at risk of flooding and sign up for flood warnings.

Land Drainage

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 21 Feb 2022 to Question 122805 on Land Drainage, how the advisory group is constituted and how submissions may be made.

Rebecca Pow: The advisory group is made up of cross-Government officials and stakeholders with a wide range of expertise relating to sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in developments, planning policy and surface water management. Stakeholders include local planning authorities, water companies, SuDS specialists, developers, manufacturers, regulators, other public bodies, and sewerage undertakers. We will as part of the review be inviting other interested parties to contribute and will make details of how to do this publicly available in due course.

Bats: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect bats.

Rebecca Pow: All native bat species are protected under Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Habitats & Species Regulations 2017. This makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure or kill bats, as well as to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place, and obstruct access to their resting or sheltering place. As such, a licence from Natural England is needed to disturb bats and their roosts. This is only issued for specific purposes set out in the legislation and only where there is no satisfactory alternative and where the activity does not impact on the favourable conservation status of the species.This Government is committed to halting the decline in species abundance by 2030, through a world-leading legally binding target under the Environment Act. We will shortly be publishing a Green Paper to look at how we can drive the delivery of that target, including through our sites and species protections. Other actions under the Environment Act are likely to support species like bats, such as biodiversity net gain for development including NSIPs and Local Nature Recovery Strategies to drive local actions to protect and recover species.

Ivory: Imports

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2022 to Question 120825 on Ivory: Imports, what assessment he has made of the impact of ivory entering or leaving the UK on global elephant and rhino populations.

Rebecca Pow: Import or re-export of ivory items into or from the UK is strictly regulated as a result of the UK’s implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). For ivory items imported into or re-exported from the UK they must be accompanied by a UK CITES import or re-export permit. CITES import or re-export permits will only be issued by the UK CITES Management Authority (APHA) following advice from the UK’s CITES Scientific Advisory for fauna (JNCC) on their assessment that the import or re-export would not have a detrimental impact on elephant populations. Rhino horns do not contain ivory and so an assessment of the impacts of ivory entering or leaving the UK on global rhino populations has not been made. The Ivory Act (2018), when commenced will prohibit UK sales of ivory that contribute directly or indirectly to elephant poaching. Establishing one of the toughest ivory bans in the world will send a clear message globally that UK does not consider commercial trade in elephant ivory to be acceptable. When commenced, the Act will ban dealing in items made of or containing elephant ivory, regardless of their age, unless they fall within one of the narrow and carefully defined exemptions. We plan for the ban to come into force in spring 2022.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Victoria Prentis: We cannot provide this information for reasons of national security.

Allotments: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of allotment gardens in the Greater London area.

Victoria Prentis: The Government recognises the importance of access to local green spaces including allotments in enabling and supporting healthy lifestyles within our communities. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space and opportunities for new provision, which can include allotments, and their plans should then seek to accommodate this. The National Model Design Code states that as part of open space design for large developments there should be the consideration of allotments and community growing projects for food production, learning and community engagement. Natural England is also promoting the use of allotments and gardening projects in London through its work with Thriving Communities & The National Academy for Social Prescribing.

Cats: Smuggling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the provisions in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill in helping to prevent the smuggling of cats and kittens.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June and is progressing through Parliament. The Bill includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats. This is because there is currently limited evidence that there is a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. The number of non-compliant cats seized at the border is much lower than for dogs, for example, in 2020 we seized and detained 17 kittens (under 15 weeks) compared with 543 puppies. We have also not seen the same issues with pregnant cats being imported, with no pregnant cats seized and detained in 2020. The consultation sought views on whether maintaining the existing requirements in relation to cats was the right approach. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups in order to shape our future policy. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders prior to the introduction of the legislation, to ensure that our final measures are well considered and led by the latest evidence.

Cats: Smuggling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the prevalence of cat smuggling; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent it.

Victoria Prentis: The number of non-compliant cats seized at the border is much lower than for dogs. For example, in 2020 we seized and detained 17 kittens (under 15 weeks) compared with 543 puppies. We have also not seen the same issues with pregnant cats being imported, with no pregnant cats seized and detained in 2020. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June and is progressing through Parliament. The Bill includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats. This is because there is currently limited evidence that there is a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. The consultation sought views on whether maintaining the existing requirements in relation to cats was the right approach. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups in order to shape our future policy. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders prior to the introduction of the legislation, to ensure that our final measures are well considered and led by the latest evidence.

Cats: Imports

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department will introduce equivalent protections to cats as those proposed for dogs in the Kept Animals Bill to provide for a ban on the import of (a) kittens under 6 months, (b) pregnant cats which are more than 42 days pregnant and (c) cats which have been declawed.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June and is progressing through Parliament. The Bill includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats. This is because there is currently limited evidence that there is a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. The number of non-compliant cats seized at the border is much lower than for dogs, for example, in 2020 we seized and detained 17 kittens (under 15 weeks) compared to 543 puppies. We have also not seen the same issues with pregnant cats being imported, with no pregnant cats seized and detained in 2020. The consultation sought views on whether maintaining the existing requirements in relation to cats was the right approach. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups in order to shape our future policy. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders prior to the introduction of the legislation, to ensure that our final measures are well considered and led by the latest evidence.

Fishing Vessels: Decommissioning

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether those fishers who invested in the now withdrawn IVMS product will face enforcement action if they put to sea without any other IVMS product on board.

Victoria Prentis: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will not be taking any enforcement action with respect to IVMS until a Statutory Instrument is laid and comes into force. That SI is scheduled to be laid in November 2022. Any enforcement after that date will be in line with the MMO’s Compliance and Enforcement Strategy.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Civil Servants

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to move more civil servants out of London.

Victoria Prentis: Defra group is proud of our already dispersed workforce with 85% of our staff based outside London. Defra has three of its four core “hubs” outside London (Bristol, York and Newcastle). In December 2021 Defra had 9,383 civil servants outside London, including 2,886 from the core department. Our Bristol hub, Horizon House, is our largest office outside London with 8% of Defra group and 15% of the core department’s staff based there. Defra is committed to continuing to build vibrant staff communities across the country, with a talented, diverse and inclusive workforce with a genuine connection to the local community and area. The publication of the Levelling Up White Paper provides a major step towards the transformation of the UK, spreading opportunity and prosperity for all. It also reinforces this Government’s, and Defra’s, commitment to increasing significantly the geographic spread of civil servants across the UK. Defra will move 550 roles in the core department out of London by 2025 and a further 550 by 2030. We will also increase the proportion of our senior civil servants who are based outside London from one-third to one-half by 2030. As we relocate more staff out of London we will make use of our existing properties. Initially we are focused on building our policy presence in our Newcastle hub (announced in November), opening small office spaces in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and working to expand other, non-London policy hubs. Moving forward, increasing the opportunities for staff in the South West remains one of our priorities, with our large group office in Exeter housing around 350 Rural Payments Agency staff.

Recycling

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of withdrawing section 58 of the Deregulation Act 2015 to enable local authorities to enforce recycling to reduce contamination.

Jo Churchill: S.58 of the Deregulation Act decriminalised incorrect recycling for householders, required a warning before any fine, and allowed regulation of the maximum fine a council can impose in England. The Government continues to believe people should generally not receive a criminal record for using the wrong bin and supports a warning being given before a fine.

Cats: Animal Breeding

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential harm and risks caused by breeding exotic cat species with domestic cat breeds in England.

Jo Churchill: Where any animal is subject to inappropriate breeding practices, whether for commercial activity or not, their welfare may suffer. To combat this all animals are protected under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The 2006 Act requires those in charge of animals to protect them from harm and to ensure they have five key welfare needs provided for. Those in charge of animals who fail to protect them from harm, or fail to provide for their welfare needs may be prosecuted and face penalties including a custodial sentence or an unlimited fine, or both. Additionally, the keeping of dangerous wild animals is regulated by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. Keepers of dangerous wild animals listed in the Schedule to the 1976 Act must get a Dangerous Wild Animals licence from their local authority. Licences must be obtained by keepers prior to the acquisition of such animals. All cats are listed in the Schedule to the Act, although several species – such as the domestic cat – are exempted. Cat hybrids having a domestic cat, or other exempted species, as one parent and a non-exempted cat as the other parent would require a Dangerous Wild Animals licence. Licences can only be granted when the authority is satisfied that it would not be contrary to public interest on the grounds of safety or nuisance; that the applicant is a suitable person; and the animal's accommodation is adequate and secure. The effect of the 1976 Act is to restrict the purchase of dangerous wild animals to those who can keep them safely and provide them with suitable accommodation and diet. Where breeding does lead to poor outcomes for the animals involved it is right for us to be concerned. Currently, there is only very limited evidence that the breeding of exotic and domestic cats causes harm to the animals involved. Any revision of the applicable licensing schemes or new regulation would require strong and verifiable evidence of a significant welfare issue which, despite our relationships with representatives and organisations from across the animal welfare spectrum, has not been forthcoming. Nevertheless, we will continue to work with the sector to identify any issues and agree and implement improvements where they are necessary.

Social Media: Animals

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to tackle social media influencers promoting the sale of (a) exotic and (b) hybrid animals online.

Jo Churchill: The commercial sale of cats as pets is regulated under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The 2018 Regulations set out clear requirements for those who breed and sell cats commercially, including their importation and distribution. For example, licencees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising animals for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the animal for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph. Additionally, the keeping of dangerous wild animals is regulated by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. Keepers of dangerous wild animals listed in the Schedule to the 1976 Act must get a Dangerous Wild Animals licence from their local authority. Licences must be obtained by keepers prior to the acquisition of such animals. All cats are listed in the Schedule to the Act, although several species – such as the domestic cat – are exempted. Cat hybrids having a domestic cat, or other exempted species, as one parent and a non-exempted cat as the other parent would require a Dangerous Wild Animals licence. Subsequent generations, involving a domestic or other exempted cat as one parent and a hybrid cat as the other parent would not require a licence. Licences can only be granted when the authority is satisfied that it would not be contrary to public interest on the grounds of safety or nuisance; that the applicant is a suitable person; and the animal's accommodation is adequate and secure. The effect of the 1976 Act is to restrict the purchase of dangerous wild animals to those who can keep them safely and provide them with suitable accommodation and diet. Influencer marketing is not a new phenomenon, however, the pace and change on social media platforms has led to a rapidly growing market. This has created opportunities for users to become influencers, and they in turn can bring positive impacts to society through campaigning or advocacy. At the same time, there is evidence of problems in this market. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has programmes of work on Online Safety and on Online Advertising to ensure the regulatory framework remains appropriate. However, it is the responsibility of all actors in the supply chain - from brands to talent agencies, platforms and influencers themselves - to ensure that this is a market that uploads the highest standards and best practice is improved. The Government is considering whether advertising regulation online should be strengthened, recognising the rapid growth of online advertising. DCMS will be consulting on the Online Advertising Programme this spring, which will look at whether the current regulatory regime is equipped to tackle these challenges.

Furs: Imports and Sales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to ban the sale and import of fur.

Jo Churchill: Now we have left the EU, the Government is able to explore potential action in relation to animal fur. We are reviewing the evidence gathered both from our Call for Evidence and wider engagement with the fur trade and stakeholders, and a summary of responses will be published soon.

Animal Breeding: Disability

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what policies his Department has in place to prevent the breeding of animals with Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome.

Jo Churchill: This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of animals very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.Where the commercial breeding of dogs is concerned, animals are protected by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations). Under the 2018 Regulations no dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, phenotype or state of health that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring, and would include suffering from Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome.In addition, my department maintains Petfished, a public communications campaign, to raise awareness of issues associated with the low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes guidance on ensuring that a dog's physical appearance has minimal adverse impact their physical well-being and welfare.More broadly, where an animal is subject to inappropriate breeding practices, whether for commercial activity or not, their welfare may suffer. To combat this all animals are protected under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The 2006 Act requires those in charge of animals to protect them from harm and to ensure they have five key welfare needs provided for. Those in charge of animals who fail to protect them from harm, or fail to provide for their welfare needs may be prosecuted and face penalties including a custodial sentence or an unlimited fine, or both.

Furs: Imports and Sales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) publish the Government's response to the recent consultation on the fur market in the UK and (b) bring forward legislative proposals to ban the import and sale of fur in the UK.

Jo Churchill: Fur farming has been banned in the UK for over 20 years. Now we have left the EU, the Government is able to explore potential further action in relation to animal fur. The recent call for evidence published by Defra on the fur trade in Great Britain was a key step in helping us to meet the commitment set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare to better understand the fur sector in Great Britain and gather evidence from those with an interest in it. We received around 30,000 responses from businesses, representative bodies and individuals, demonstrating the strong public interest in this area. We are reviewing the evidence gathered both from our Call for Evidence and wider engagement with the fur trade and stakeholders, and a summary of responses setting out the results and key findings will be published soon.

Game: Birds

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with regard to the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes, what his Department's policy is on the acceptable temperature range inside the units that are used to house breeding game birds, in relation to the provision in that Code on protection from adverse weather conditions and extremes of temperature.

Jo Churchill: It remains the farmer/keeper’s responsibility to ensure that birds are kept in a suitable environment, as required by Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which includes the provision of suitable protection from adverse weather conditions. The Code of Practice for the welfare of Gamebirds reared for Sporting Purposes states that when birds are housed or penned, the accommodation should be well constructed and managed and of sufficient size to ensure good health and welfare; which is best achieved by ensuring protection from adverse weather conditions and extremes of temperature. The code also states that there should be a contingency plan to prevent or deal with emergencies which would include extremes of temperature. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out targeted inspections on gamebird units in response to intelligence received. In determining whether a temperature range is suitable, APHA inspectors conduct a case-by-case assessment based on the birds’ environment, including any clinical signs in the birds, to verify compliance with the legislation. APHA also assess stockmanship and contingency actions that have been put in place to protect bird welfare.

Animal Products: Imports

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to bring forward its Animals Abroad Bill; and whether that proposed legislation will include a ban on the import of hunting trophies.

Jo Churchill: We have already introduced our Animal Sentience and Kept Animals Bills to Parliament and published the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates this Government's commitment to animals both at home and abroad.We have pledged to bring forward legislation to ban imports of hunting trophies from thousands of species. This ban looks to go beyond our manifesto commitment and it will be among the strongest in the world, leading the way in protecting endangered animals and helping to strengthen and support long-term conservation. We intend to bring this forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Natural Fibres

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential benefits of options for sustainable alternatives to non-plastic polymers.

Jo Churchill: We have conducted reviews into plant or fungi-based plastic alternatives to fossil derived plastics and bio-based (plant derived) plastics. These reviews identified several potential issues with such alternatives from a sustainability perspective, including issues with land use, nutrients and water.Further research is required to demonstrate bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall when compared to conventional plastics across a whole life cycle.

Home Office

Home Office: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what critical infrastructure her Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Damian Hinds: This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Resettlement

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been resettled through the Community Sponsorship Scheme in each year since 2016.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been resettled through the Community Sponsorship Scheme in each year since 2016, broken down by country of origin.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data on resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people who have been resettled through the Community Sponsorship Scheme, by nationality, are published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’.Resettlements through the Community Sponsorship Scheme have been published as standalone figures since February 2021. Previously these figures were included within the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) data but weren’t separately identifiable.Figures on the total number of people resettled through community sponsorship scheme prior to this can be found in the 'How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?' chapter of the Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2021 release, (section ‘1.1 Resettlement’). The data are not available broken down by year or nationality prior to February 2021.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to December 2021. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to respond to the case raised in HC debate 25 January, vol 707, col 832, on Iranian refugees, and the correspondence of 25 January and 9 February from the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall constituency.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the Hon. Member’s correspondence on 28 February 2022.

Visas: Russia

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Russian nationals hold Tier 1 investor visas.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Russian nationals have been awarded settled status after receiving a Tier 1 Investor visa.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 1 investor visas have been awarded in each year since the start of that scheme.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have received settled status after being resident in the UK with a Tier 1 (Investor) visa for (a) two years, (b) three years and (c) four years.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas and settlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.Data on the number of applications from Investor visas (previously Tier 1) to Russian nationals, and the decisions on such applications are published in tables ‘Vis_D01’ and ‘Vis_D02’ of the entry clearance detailed datasets. Data relating to Grants of Settlement by nationality and visa type are published in table Se_D01 of the settlement detailed datasets.These data do not say how many years a person has been resident before being granted settlement. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.The latest data includes up to the end of 2021.Please note the published data relate to Russian nationals, regardless of their residency.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Home Office: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Damian Hinds: The department employs an in-house social media team whose core responsibility it is to use digital channels to effectively and efficiently increase public awareness and understanding of the work and policies of the department. It is the role of the team to devise strategies and plans, as well as create and distribute digital content, for all Home Office social medial channels, to meet that objective.Content created by this team regarding Government policies, guidance and announcements is also to be posted from ministerial accounts when necessary - this includes ministerial statements, content from official visits or government announcements. There is not an incremental cost to the creation of these assets. Like all other communications products, they are funded by the Home Office Communications Directorate staffing budget.

Refugees: Ukraine

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assistance she is providing for Ukrainian citizens settled in the UK who wish to reunite with their family members still residing in Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration: Applications

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2022 to Question 126868 on Immigration: Applications, if she will publish data held by her Department on the number of outstanding applications for (a) leave to remain and (b) indefinite leave to remain as at 24 February 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Crime: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the police at tackling crime in the London Borough of Havering.

Kit Malthouse: We are committed to tackling crime and are equipping the police with the resources and powers they need to do so, including an additional 20,000 officers. Nationally, we have set clear objectives for policing through the Beating Crime Plan and the National Crime and Policing Measures and we help drive performance against those measures through the National Policing Board and Crime and Policing Performance Board.The Mayor of London, as occupant of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), is the equivalent of a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and is responsible for ensuring that the Metropolitan Police is efficient and effective and for holding the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to account for the exercise of their functions. The Mayor is also required to produce a Police and Crime Plan setting out their strategic policing and crime objectives and is directly accountable for their performance at the ballot box.Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is the independent inspectorate for policing in England and Wales. Its reports are vital tools in providing the public with the information they need to hold their PCC to account and, for ensuring PCCs are able to effectively hold Chief Constables to account for force performance and can, where necessary, drive improvement.

Overseas Visitors: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she plans to offer to Ukranian nationals who are in the UK and who cannot return to Ukraine during the ongoing conflict.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Diesel Fuel: Theft

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government's proposals to restrict the use of red diesel on levels of theft of white diesel in (a) sawmills and (b) the construction industry.

Kit Malthouse: In bringing forward this change, the Government considered views of diesel users and our long-term environment objectives.The Government does not anticipate reforms to red diesel use will lead to white diesel theft at scale in the affected industries. We will continue to work closely with policing leads and other partners to monitor the situation.Fuel users storing diesel in tanks or in vehicles and machinery on their site(s) should continue to take steps to ensure this is stored securely. Practical crime prevention advice is published on the Secured by Design website, developed by the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives: https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.

Visas: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend visitor visas to Ukranian nationals who are in the UK, and whose visas are due to expire, so that they are not required to return to Ukraine while the conflict is ongoing.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Undocumented Migrants: Housing

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the public purse was of providing accommodation for migrants who illegal crossed the English Channel to the UK since 2019.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of migrants who crossed the English Channel illegally into the UK since 2019 are being housed in (a) hotels and (b) other temporary accommodation.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not accommodate illegal migrants, but does have a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 February 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in May 2022. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in specific accommodation. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts

Immigration: EU Nationals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many in-time applications for the EU Settlement Scheme were outstanding as at 21 February 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data on the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) in the ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’.The latest published information on EUSS applications received and concluded to 31 January 2022, can be found in the monthly summary data at: EU Settlement Scheme statistics, January 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Knives: Crime

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of offences which involved a knife or sharp instrument in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last two years.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of deaths resulting from offences which involved a knife or sharp instrument in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to tackle knife crime in (i) Coventry North East constituency, (ii) Coventry, (iii) the West Midlands and (iv) England.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not hold figures below the level of Police Force Area. In the year ending September 2020, there were 4,745 offences involving knives or sharp instruments in the West Midlands Police Force Area. This compares to 4,483 in the year ending September 2021. This represents a fall of 8% between September 2020 and September 2021.The number of homicides recorded in the West Midlands Police Force Area involving a knife or sharp instrument over the last five years were as follows:Year ending Sept 2017 - 23Year ending Sept 2018 - 21Year ending Sept 2019 - 22Year ending Sept 2020 - 25Year ending Sept 2021 - 23 The number of homicides recorded in England involving a knife or sharp instrument over the last five years were as follows:Year ending Sept 2017 - 238Year ending Sept 2018 - 279Year ending Sept 2019 - 237Year ending Sept 2020 - 252Year ending Sept 2021 - 267 Tackling knife crime is a priority for this Government and we are supporting the police by recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers by March 2023. As at 31 December 2021, police forces in England and Wales have recruited over 11,000 additional officers as part of the Police Uplift Programme and West Midlands police force has recruited 844 additional uplift officers against a combined year 1 and 2 allocation of 730 officers.Police funding is also increasing and, on 2 February 2022, the Government published a total police funding settlement of up to £16.9 billion in 2022/23. West Midlands Police will receive up to £694.9 million in 2022/23, an increase of up to £39.4 million when compared to 2021/22.Since 2019, the Home Office has invested £105.5m (£35.5m this financial year) in the 18 areas worst affected by serious violence to develop Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) of which £10.11m has been allocated to the West Midlands PCC to develop the West Midlands VRU. VRUs combine the expertise of key local partners, including the police, health, education, and local authorities, to pinpoint the drivers of violence in their areas and deliver bespoke interventions in response. This includes targeted interventions with at-risk young people, ranging from behavioural therapy, social skills training, trusted adult relationships amongst many more. Over 300,000 young people have been supported by VRUs in their first two years of funding.Additionally, we have made up to c.£17m available this financial year for additional early intervention and prevention programmes to support young people at high risk of involvement in serious violence, delivered via VRUs on top of their core funding. This includes three investments into the West Midlands, which are:o £1.176m in high-intensity therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which the Youth Endowment Fund’s Evidence Toolkit identifies as likely to be highly effective in reducing violent crime;o £455k in ‘teachable moment’ style interventions for young people involved in serious violence which capitalise on important moments when they are likely to be most receptive (for example, admission to A&E or in police custody), connecting them to a package of support enabling a more positive life course; ando £591k in trauma-informed training for frontline professionals to help them improve support for young people by developing a greater understanding of different types of trauma that may have been experienced by the children and young people they work with.Since 2019 we have invested a further £136.5m to support the police across the 18 areas in England and Wales worst affected by serious violence to increase operational activity to tackle serious violence, including by delivering targeted patrols in serious violence hotspots.Since 2019, £15.541m of this funding has been allocated to West Midlands Police. We have also invested £200m in early intervention and prevention support initiatives over 10 years to support children and young people at risk of exploitation and involvement in serious violence through the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF). The YEF will support how this government responds to serious violence by identifying what works in diverting children and young people away from involvement in serious violent crime. In total, 15 grantees in the West Midlands are in receipt of funding from all grant rounds.We will also help the police target those who have already been convicted of knife or offensive weapon offences and who persist in unlawfully carrying a knife or a weapon with the intention to commit more violence. We have introduced Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill which will give the police powers to stop and search those already convicted of knife and offensive weapon offences. West Midlands Police will be one of the four police forces to pilot SVROs.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 23 November 2021 from the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire regarding the warrant for the Fire Service Long Service and Good Conduct Bars for 30 and 40 years service; and what her Department's timetable is for taking a decision on those service awards.

Damian Hinds: I am pleased to report that the Fire Brigade Long Service Good Conduct Medal Royal Warrant, has now been amended to include the 30 and 40 years’ service clasps and has received approval by the committee on the grant of honours, decorations and medals (known as the HD Committee).The Royal Warrant will come into effect as soon as it is approved by HM The Queen in coming weeks.

Fraud: Telephones

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of fraudulent phone calls in each of the last three years; what recent assessment she has made of the impact of that matter on victims; and whether those figures are included in national crime statistics.

Damian Hinds: Reports of fraud offences are made to Action Fraud and are recorded as criminal offences by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). These offences include ‘consumer phone fraud.’ This type of fraud combines phone calls, missed calls and text messages. A detailed explanation of ‘consumer phone fraud’ is provided at the following link: Counting rules for fraud (publishing.service.gov.uk).The Home Office collects data on these reports. This data is published as official statistics by the Office for National Statistics on a quarterly basis. The latest breakdown of fraud offences is available from October 2019 to September 2021 in table A5 below:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 Feb 2022 to Question 119880 on Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England following its introduction in Scotland and Wales.

Kit Malthouse: The Government notes the decision of the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol. An assessment of the impact is a matter for those governments.There are no plans to introduce minimum unit pricing in England.

Slavery

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that British companies found to have supply chains that involve modern slavery receive adequate penalties.

Rachel Maclean: The landmark transparency provisions contained in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 made the UK the first country in the world to require businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.The prevalence of modern slavery and complexity of global supply chains means that it is highly unlikely that any sector or company is immune from the risks of modern slavery. Section 54 therefore does not require organisations to certify that their supply chains are ‘slavery free’ or require the Government to verify the content of modern slavery statements.The Government expects companies to report transparently about how they are mitigating modern slavery risks and to use their modern slavery statements to demonstrate year on year progress. This enables consumers, shareholders and civil society to scrutinise the efforts being made.Under the current provisions of section 54, if an organisation does not comply with their legal requirements in relation to producing a modern slavery statement, the Home Secretary can apply for an injunction to enforce compliance.To enhance the impact of transparency and accelerate action to prevent modern slavery, in the September 2020 Government response to the Transparency in Supply Chains consultation the Government committed to strengthening the reporting requirements contained in section 54. In January 2021 the Foreign Secretary announced that financial penalties will be introduced for organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to publish annual modern slavery statements. These measures require primary legislation and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.The Government will publish guidance to help organisations prepare for the new reporting requirements when timings of legislation are clear.

Dogs: Smuggling

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446, on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Border Force’s decision to limit the consignment time to thirty minutes for vehicles suspected to be involved in the puppy smuggling industry.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, how many vehicles have been released from consignment at the Port of Dover following recent changes to the operational agreement between the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Border Force.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, if she will publish recent changes made to the operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119446 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Border Force, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Border Force continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency on vehicles suspected of being involved in the Puppy Smuggling industry.

Damian Hinds: 1) The decision to limit the detention time to 30 minutes from the point of notifying APHA was an agreed position between Border Force and APHA at Dover. The SLA commenced on the 24 January and its effectiveness will be assessed after 3 months.2) Border Force and Defra meet regularly at the Border Force and Defra Steering Group to discuss ways of working to combat puppy smuggling. Border Force continues to work closely with APHA, referring every case identified at the border for the appropriate action.3) Border Force and APHA have no plans to publish the local operational agreement between Border Force and the Animal and Plant Health Agency at the Port of Dover.4) There have been no vehicles requiring referral to APAH since the commencement of the SLA.

Coronavirus: Screening

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle fraudsters who send fake messages that urge people to purchase covid-19 testing kits; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The Government is aware that fraudsters continue to exploit the pandemic to commit opportunistic crimes such as fraud. We are working closely with local enforcement teams and urging the public to beware of fake text messages instructing people to purchase covid-19 testing kits. That is why published guidance to assist the public in purchasing covid-19 testing kits. This advice can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing.The Government takes the issue of disinformation very seriously. That’s why we stood up the Counter Disinformation Unit in March 2020 which brings together monitoring and analysis capabilities across Government and is working at pace to develop a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and the reach of disinformation and misinformation on COVID-19, and to work with partners to tackle it.We continue to encourage anybody who suspects an email, text or other form of communication to be suspicious to report it to report@phishing.gov.uk or forward a text to 7726, free of charge. This information is being used by law enforcement partners, alongside crime reports to identify, disrupt and stop fraudsters.

Home Office: Recruitment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many positions have been recruited under the transformation and business improvement initiatives at the Home Office.

Damian Hinds: Transformation and business improvement activities in the Home Office is managed across individual business areas and major programmes. Positions are recruited locally on a programme needs basis at any given time. This information is not held centrally.

Economic Crime: Criminal Investigation

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations the National Crime Agency has conducted into criminal financial sanctions breaches for each year in the last three years.

Damian Hinds: The National Crime Agency conducted three investigations into criminal financial sanctions breaches in 2019-2020.

Police: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle low morale as a result of pay within the police.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase the pay of police officers and police support staff.

Kit Malthouse: It is the role of the independent Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) to consider and make recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers. The Home Secretary’s remit letter asks the PRRB for recommendations on how to apply the pay award for 2022/23.The PRRB gathers and invites parties to submit evidence to inform its decisions. This includes both written and oral evidence from the Government, police employers and police staff associations.The Government has no statutory role in determining the pay and conditions for police staff, which are agreed locally by Chief Constables in consultation with trade unions.The Government is unequivocal in its support for the police and giving them the resources that they need to protect the public, investing up to £16.9 billion in 2022/23 and committing to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by March 2023. We have also introduced the Police Covenant, recognising the bravery and commitment of current and former members of the police workforce and ensuring they get the support and protection they need.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many migrants successfully crossed the English Channel in each year since 2019.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims have been successfully processed by her Department since 2019.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people whose claim for asylum was unsuccessful have been deported by her Department since 2019.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the demographic data of migrants who have arrived in the UK via illegal crossing on the English Channel since 2019.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum applications have been successfully appealed by the claimant since 2019.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ release. Data on the number of small boat arrivals is published in the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’, including breakdowns by nationality, age and sex. The latest data cover the period up to the end of December 2021.The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.Data on asylum applications and initial decisions on asylum applications are published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’.Data on appeals and appeal outcomes are published in tables Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the detailed datasets (available at the above link). For appeals, please note that most, but not all, appeals will relate to those who have had their claim refused at initial decision; a small number of appeals relate to cases which received a grant of leave other than asylum.Data on asylum-related returns by type of return (including enforced returns, of which ‘deportations’ are a subset) are published in table Ret_05 in the returns summary tables. The latest data relate to the year ending September 2021. The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:enter, or attempt to enter, the UK illegally (including people entering clandestinely and by means of deception on entry);overstay their period of legal right to remain in the UK;breach their conditions of leave;are subject to deportation action; for example, due to a serious criminal conviction, andhave been refused asylum. Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).

British Nationality

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2022 to Question 111653, on British Nationality, whether her Department plans to consult relevant stakeholders to inform the drafting of the statutory guidance for the Nationality and Borders Bill.

Tom Pursglove: The nationality guidance is not statutory guidance with a duty to consult on. We will, however, engage with relevant nationality stakeholders prior to implementation of the nationality provisions of the Bill.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Eddie Hughes: None of the Department’s estates infrastructure is reliant on private wire networks.

Storms: Finance

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial support for communities affected by storm Franklin.

Kemi Badenoch: My sympathies are with those communities, householders and businesses who have been affected by these storms but thankfully the overall reported impacts following the recent named storms were far lower than predicted.Following severe weather events which have significant and wide area impacts, it will be for Ministers to collectively determine whether support should be made available to impacted areas through the activation of the Bellwin Scheme and, where there has been flooding, the Flood Recovery Framework (Framework).Before activating these, Government considers many factors - such as the severity, duration, and the extent of reported impacts.To date there have not been any formal local authority requests for financial support for the response or flood recovery efforts.  We will continue to monitor the scale of the impacts and consider support as appropriate.

Private Rented Housing: Energy Bills Rebate

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he will take to ensure that the energy bill rebate benefits tenants instead of landlords.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government’s guidance to councils makes clear that payments should be made to the liable council tax payer, who in most cases is the occupant rather than the owner of a property. Councils will also receive funding to provide discretionary support to households who are not eligible for automatic payments, for example those where the energy bill payer is not the council tax payer.

Empty Property and Second Homes: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many houses are recorded as (a) empty or (b) second homes for the purposes of council tax in (i) Romford constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Havering and (iii) Greater London.

Kemi Badenoch: We publish data on the number of empty homes and second homes for the purposes of council tax at a local authority level. Figures for Greater London can be aggregated from the local authority level data provided in the ‘Data’ tab.   The latest council tax base data, from a snapshot taken in October 2021, can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1032557/Local_Authorities_Council_Taxbase_2021_Drop_down.xlsx . Empty properties can be found in Line 15 and second homes can be found in Line 11.

Local Government: Elections

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the safety and security of independent council candidates in the context of the requirement to provide a visible address on election literature in local authority elections.

Kemi Badenoch: Imprints are required on any printed election material, including that of independent candidates at local elections, to provide voters with the level of transparency they rightly expect about who is campaigning. The imprint requirement also supports the rules on campaign spending limits. The requirement to include an address as part of the imprint is important to enable the police and the courts to enforce the rules relating to candidate election material with legal certainty.The safety of election campaigners and candidates is our utmost priority. For this reason, while candidates must use a postal address where they can be contacted, a range of addresses are permitted under the imprint rules. Therefore, candidates have alternative options if they feel uncomfortable publishing their home address on printed election material. As outlined in Electoral Commission guidance, this can be an office or business address. Candidates may also use a PO Box address or other mailbox service.

Housing: Pensioners

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that everyone of pensionable age is in secure housing and not exposed to the risks of the private rented sector.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what priority he is giving to ensure that people of pensionable age are not living in damp or cold homes.

Stuart Andrew: Ensuring older people have access to the right homes that suit their needs can help them to live independently for longer and feel more connected to their communities. We are committed to improving the diversity of accommodation available for older people, so that they can choose the best housing option for them, in the places they want to live.Boosting the supply of a range of specialist housing across the country will be key to achieving this aim. We are investing £11.5 billion in the new Affordable Homes Programme, which includes the delivery of specialist or supported housing, including retirement housing.A new government taskforce, as announced in the Levelling Up White Paper, will look at ways we can provide greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people. Further details on the scope of the taskforce work will be confirmed in due course.We are committed to driving up standards in private rented accommodation for all tenants and we will be consulting on introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard in the Private Rented Sector and a landlord register. We will publish a White Paper in Spring this year that will set out our proposals for reform of the private rented sector.

Housing: Tees Valley

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to launch the First Homes Scheme in the Tees Valley.

Stuart Andrew: Homes England are currently awarding contracts for our First Homes pilot, which should see a small number of First Homes delivered in the Tees Valley area by the end of March 2023.In addition, since 28 June 2021, national planning policy sets an expectation that new local plans should ensure 25% of all affordable homes delivered through developer contributions should be First Homes.

Housing: Construction

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to make Clinical Commissioning Groups statutory consultees for development applications for 500 or more dwellings.

Stuart Andrew: The list of statutory consultees is under constant review. Whilst particular organisations or bodies might not be statutory consultees on planning applications, they can work proactively with local councils to identify developments where they might have an interest and can comment on proposals within the statutory public consultation period. The decision to grant or refuse a planning application ultimately rests with the local planning authority, who will take into account all relevant planning considerations and not just the advice from one consultee.It is important that local planning authorities prepare, and keep up to date, a local plan as the primary basis for identifying what development is needed in an area. Local Plans provide certainty for communities, businesses and developers and ensure development is supported by the right infrastructure.

Property Development

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his letter to the Residential Property Developer Industry dated 10 January 2022, if he will issue a circular to planning authorities that would enable them to refuse planning permission on grounds that an applicant had not (a) agreed to make appropriate financial contributions to a fund that would cover the full outstanding cost to remediate outstanding fire safety issues or (b) undertaken all necessary remediation of buildings that they had been involved in developing.

Stuart Andrew: We have tabled amendments to the Building Safety Bill to give the Secretary of State the power to stop new planning permissions being developed by major residential developers who have not committed to act responsibly to resolve the building safety crisis.   If a qualifying developer does undertake development, this would be a breach of planning control and subject to enforcement action.   Any planning permission that is granted for land owned by these developers would remain valid; this would enable this land to be sold to responsible developers to be developed by them instead.

Building Safety Fund

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2021 to Question 2449, on Building Safety Fund, on what date he plans to publish the standard template documents for the (a) Short Form Funding Agreement for Pre-Tender Support and (b) Grant Funding Agreement that must be signed by (i) building owners and (ii) property management companies to access the Building Safety Fund.

Stuart Andrew: The revised Grant Funding Agreement for the Building Safety Fund has been made available to Applicants. There should now be no obstacle to the remediation of unsafe cladding being carried out without further delay.

Freehold: Service Charges

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2020 to Question 68411, on Freehold: Service Charges, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager for the provision of services covered by estate rent charges.

Eddie Hughes: The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. Where people pay estate rent charges it is not appropriate that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs We will translate these measures into law when parliamentary time allows. We are committed to a long-term programme of reform to make sure that homeowners experience the benefits of true home ownership. It is complex with many interdependencies and will take time to get the detail right.

Private Rented Housing: Pensioners

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending section 21 evictions for people of pensionable age.

Eddie Hughes: The Government is committed to delivering a better deal for renters and abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. We recognise the change in size and makeup of the private rented sector, with an increasing number of older people now renting their homes, means there is a growing need for longer, more stable tenancies.We will publish a White Paper in Spring 2022 detailing our plans for reform of the private rented sector and bring forward legislation in due course. We are working with stakeholders from across the sector to inform this. As part of our reforms, we will consider the impact of these changes on people with protected characteristics, including age.

Private Rented Housing: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the impact of residential development on the (a) rental prices of residential properties in (i) Greater Manchester and (ii) Stockport, (b) ability of local residents to continue to rent in those areas and (c) local housing allowance rates.

Eddie Hughes: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of residential development on rental prices in Greater Manchester and Stockport. In the long run we need to build more homes to tackle affordability. This is why we are bringing forward an ambitious near £20 billion investment to underpin the Government's long-term housing strategy.In April 2020 we increased Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion and providing 1.5 million claimants with around £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received. For some people this increase may have been more, for example in the Central Greater Manchester Broad Rental Market Area (BRMA) the 3 bedroom LHA rate increased by over £1500 per year and in Southern Greater Manchester BRMA, which covers Stockport, the increase was over £870 per year. LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021/22 and will remain at those levels for 2022/23.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Conor Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ58831 on 27 October 2021. The Government Property Agency (GPA) acts as a landlord to government department clients, including Cabinet Office, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Education and others. GPA has started a Net Zero Offices Programme, which seeks to remove fossil fuel boilers (where they have reached end of economic life) and replace them with more environmental forms of heating such as use of air source heat pumps and, in the case of the Whitehall District Heating System, the utilisation of ground source heat pumps. The Net Zero Offices Programmes is seeking funding for its heat decarbonisation projects through applications to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Veterans: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make the wellbeing of veterans in Northern Ireland living with PTSD a priority of his during discussions on historical prosecution of veterans for actions during the Troubles.

Conor Burns: The Government takes the wellbeing of our veterans very seriously. That is why we are delivering on our commitments made in New Decade, New Approach and in particular, ensuring that our veterans are treated similarly to their counterparts across the rest of the UK. This Government has delivered for veterans in Northern Ireland through the establishment of the NI Veterans Commissioner and further funding to the Veterans' Support Office. These bodies advocate for and assist veterans as they navigate services such as health and social care. The Government will also deliver on its commitment to NI veterans as part of a wider package to address legacy issues in Northern Ireland that focuses on reconciliation. The well-being of veterans who served in Northern Ireland is of course a key aspect of these discussions, which are ongoing.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Gulf States

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to increase trade with countries in the Persian Gulf.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The Gulf includes many nations that are long-standing friends and important trading partners for the United Kingdom. Bilateral engagement continues to remove trade barriers and boost trade even further. With an overall trade relationship worth £32.4 billion in 2020, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) some of our largest trading partners globally. HM Government has recently completed a fourteen-week public consultation to help make sure we pursue the best trade deal possible for British businesses and the British people. We will start negotiations on a free trade deal with the GCC soon.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to increase trade with Israel.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: Israel is an important trading partner, with bilateral trade worth £4.8 billion a year. My Rt Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has committed to enhancing the trading relationship through an upgraded trade deal, building on the trade agreement we have in place today. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade travelled to Israel in early February to meet her counterpart, Orna Barbivai, and discussed the mutual benefit of an upgraded deal focusing on services, digital and innovation. We have launched our consultation on such a deal; formal negotiations cannot begin until the consultation has concluded and the responses fully analysed.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Youth Services: Barnsley Central

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of not including Barnsley as a priority left behind area for the Youth Investment Fund on youth services in Barnsley Central.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the impact on Barnsley Central constituency of not being prioritised for funding from the Youth Investment Fund.

Nigel Huddleston: Following the 2021 Spending Review, we are investing £560 million in youth services in England over the next 3 years, including the Youth Investment Fund and ongoing support for the National Citizen Service. This will transform the government’s offer for young people and level up opportunities right across the country.£368 million of our investment has been dedicated to the Youth Investment Fund, which will see 45 local authorities and around 600 district wards in deprived parts of England eligible to apply, paving the way for up to 300 youth facilities to be built or redeveloped over the next three years.The areas qualifying for the Youth Investment Fund were chosen on the basis of need using publicly available data sources. The data sets chosen were local authority level rates of young people not in Education or Employment (NEET), the proportion of children living in low income households from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IDACI scores), and the returns from local authorities to government on the levels of spend on youth services (Section 251 data).The details of how this formula has been applied are available on the GOV.UK website.

Sports: Russia

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with international sporting bodies to help ensure that no major events take place in Russia following that country's invasion of Ukraine.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government strongly condemns Russia’s recent actions. Russia must not be allowed to exploit major sporting and cultural events on the world stage to seek to legitimise its illegal invasion of Ukraine.The international sporting community has a pivotal role to play in standing up to the illegitimacy of the Russian Government's actions. Our absolute objective is to ensure that international sporting events do not take place in Russia, and that Russian teams cannot compete internationally. The Government has been vocal on this issue and helped to ensure that sporting bodies, in this country and globally, have taken swift action.In particular, my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and I convened a forum of national governing bodies on 28 February to support them in their response to this unprovoked attack, and strongly encourage engagement with their International Federations. The Government is also engaging with international ministerial counterparts this week to help build a collective approach on these issues. This dialogue and has already resulted in numerous sports bodies moving events away from Russia, and being clear that Russian and Belarussian athletes cannot participate internationally.We applaud and strongly support the sports who have already taken many steps to respond to our calls for what is right.

Gambling: Advertising

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential causal relationship between gambling advertising and harm caused by gambling.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the extent to which exposure to gambling advertising is a predictor of (a) at risk and (b) problem gambling among secondary school children.

Chris Philp: Public Health England’s evidence review of gambling-related harms did not find any review-level evidence that exposure to advertising is a risk factor for harmful gambling. However, we are aware that gambling advertising can have a disproportionate impact on some groups, such as those who are already experiencing problems with gambling, and there are aspects of advertising which can appeal to children.While rules are already in place to prevent advertising from causing harm to children and vulnerable people, the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) has recently implemented strengthened protections for adults who are vulnerable to gambling harm. A further announcement on new rules aimed at reducing the appeal of gambling adverts to children is also expected shortly.The Government is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it remains fit for the digital age. As part of its broad scope, the review called for evidence on the benefits or harms of allowing operators to advertise and engage in sponsorship arrangements. We are considering the evidence carefully and will publish a White Paper outlining conclusions and next steps in the coming months.

Sports: Gambling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering sporting bodies sports betting rights, where gambling companies can be charged a fee for the right to use sporting content and to offer bets on sporting competitions.

Chris Philp: The Government currently has no plans to introduce a requirement for gambling operators to pay a fee or levy to sporting bodies. We are fully supportive of the Horserace Betting Levy, which recognises the symbiotic relationship between horseracing and gambling. This unique relationship is not replicated in other sports, which have a broader appeal beyond gambling. However, we recognise that gambling contributes to the funding of sports by way of media rights, advertising and sponsorship.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Social Media

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on Ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Julia Lopez: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.DCMS employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Social Media

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department are managing Ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Julia Lopez: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.DCMS employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Football: Abuse and Hooliganism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help tackle (a) disruption and (b) abuse at professional football matches.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is clear that there is no place for any kind of discrimination or abuse in sport.We are concerned by the increase in disorder at football matches and have discussed this with the relevant bodies. These include the Sports Grounds Safety Authority, the UK Football Policing Unit, and the Football Association. We will continue to liaise closely with all the football authorities about their work to tackle disruption and abuse at football matches.

Telecommunications: Emergency Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the upgrading of the telephone network, what steps she is taking to ensure resilience in telephone access to emergency services, particularly during a mains power failure.

Julia Lopez: The upgrade of UK landlines from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is an industry-led initiative. Despite this, the Government and Ofcom are working together to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the switchover process.The Communications Act (2003) places obligations on Communications Providers, implemented under Condition A3 of Ofcom’s General Conditions of Entitlement, to ensure that any caller can access Emergency Organisations (Police, Ambulance, Fire & Rescue, HM Coastguard) by using the emergency numbers “112” and “999” free of charge. If calling via mobile, this enables calls to 999/112 be made via another network if the caller’s mobile provider cannot provide a signal to make the call.Alongside this, Ofcom has imposed regulatory obligations on communications providers to ensure customers have uninterrupted access to emergency organisations in the specific event of a power failure. The guidance states that providers must have at least one solution available that enables customers to access emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power cut, and that it must be offered free of charge to customers who are at risk due to their dependence on their landline.

Telecommunications: Vulnerable Adults

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the upgrading of the telephone network, what steps she is taking to ensure that the provision of voice services is maintained for vulnerable landline-only users without broadband.

Julia Lopez: Whilst the upgrade of UK landlines from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is an industry-led initiative, the government and Ofcom are working together to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the upgrade process.In order to function correctly, VoIP services require a minimum stable connection speed of just 0.5Mbps, and voice-only services will still be available to consumers in the UK who do not wish to purchase a general internet connection.Ofcom has issued guidance on this migration which states that providers should take steps to identify at-risk customers and engage in effective communications to ensure all are protected and supported in the switch-over process.Moreover, the PSTN migration does not affect the universal service obligations set in the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 which require the designated providers to offer telephony services throughout the UK. BT and KCOM are therefore still required to maintain access to a range of telephony services as well as provide a series of special measures designed for users who have a disability.

Gambling Act 2005 Review

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to publish the Gambling Review White Paper before summer recess 2022.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will undertake an impact assessment of postponing the Gambling Review White Paper.

Chris Philp: The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. The objective of the Review is to get the appropriate balance between respecting consumer freedom and preventing harm, with effective and proportionate protections. We will publish a white paper setting out our vision for the sector and next steps in the coming months.

Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release, New UK initiative to shape global standards for Artificial Intelligence, published on 12 January 2022, what ethical considerations her Department plans to include in the new artificial intelligence standards.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release, New UK initiative to shape global standards for Artificial Intelligence, published on 12 January 2022, what discussions officials in her Department had with industry leaders and academics when designing the artificial intelligence standards hub.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release, New UK initiative to shape global standards for Artificial Intelligence, published on 12 January 2022, how long the pilot of the artificial intelligence standards hub will last; what metrics that hub will be measured against; and who will evaluate the performance of that pilot scheme.

Chris Philp: The AI Standards Hub pilot aims to grow UK contributions to global AI standards development. As outlined in the National AI Strategy, the UK is taking a global approach to shaping technical standards for AI trustworthiness, seeking to embed accuracy, reliability, security, and other facets of trust in AI technologies from the outset.The pilot follows the launch of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation’s (CDEI) ‘roadmap to an effective AI assurance ecosystem’, which is also part of the National AI Strategy. The roadmap sets out the steps needed to develop world-leading products and services to verify AI systems and accelerate AI adoption. Technical standards are important for enabling effective AI assurance because they give organisations a common basis for verifying AI.Alongside the AI Standards hub pilot and AI assurance roadmap, the government, via the National AI Strategy, has committed to undertake a review of the UK’s AI governance landscape, and publish an AI governance white paper. AI Standards, assurance, and regulation can be mutually complementary drivers of ethical and responsible AI.The Alan Turing Institute is leading the AI Standards Hub Pilot, supported by the British Standards Institution and National Physical Laboratory. The pilot is expected to complete its initial activities by the end of 2022.The AI Standards Hub pilot will involve engagement and collaboration with industry and academics. This includes a series of stakeholder roundtables being led by The Alan Turing Institute.Once the Hub pilot finishes, there will be a process to evaluate and review its impact and determine the appropriate next steps.

Facebook: Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to (a) regulate Facebook Metaverse, (b) counter potential misinformation and abuse and (c) help ensure safeguarding for vulnerable people on that platform.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to driving forward a future-facing and nimble approach to regulating digital technologies which unlocks innovation while also tackling its most serious downsides. As part of this commitment, we will bring forward the Online Safety Bill, which aims to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.The Online Safety Bill will apply to all services that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other, regardless of whether users can interact through online forums or as avatars in a digital environment. This includes the Metaverse.The Government takes the issues of misinformation and abuse extremely seriously. The Bill will require services in scope to tackle illegal misinformation, disinformation and abuse, and to protect children from harmful content. The biggest platforms will also need to address legal content that may cause significant physical or psychological harm to adults, including some types of misinformation and disinformation such as anti-vaccination content and falsehoods about COVID-19, as well as abuse. Users will also be better able to report abuse, and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform. When abuse crosses a criminal threshold, the police have the power to identify anonymous trolls and hold them to account. Ofcom will also be required to establish an expert advisory committee on misinformation and disinformation.

Data Protection: Crime

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of making the misuse of (a) personal details or (b) corporate details a police recordable crime.

Julia Lopez: The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) contains a number of criminal offences relating to the misuse of personal data. They include, at section 170, the unlawful obtaining, disclosing, or retaining personal data without the consent of the data controller; and at section 171, the re-identification of de-identified personal data without a lawful reason.The penalties for these offences are set out in section 196 of the DPA. A person who is convicted is liable to an unlimited fine in the courts. Under section 199 of the DPA, these offences are recordable which means that those committing such offences will have a criminal record on conviction.The ICO has a range of enforcement powers under the DPA to tackle the unlawful processing of personal data, including the power to require organisations to stop risky processing activities or serve civil monetary penalties. Details of the ICO’s enforcement activity can be found on its website.In addition to offences under the DPA, there are a number of other recordable criminal offences relating to the misuse or theft of personal data and company information, which can be prosecuted in certain circumstances. They include offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the Theft Acts and the Fraud Act 2006.

Gambling: Video Games

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to publish its response to the Loot Boxes in Video Games consultation.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the games industry on tackling harms from loot boxes.

Julia Lopez: The Government undertook a call for evidence from September to November 2020 to examine concerns around loot boxes in video games. We are continuing to consider the evidence from more than 30,000 responses that we received, along with an independent Rapid Evidence Assessment commissioned from the InGAME research and innovation centre.We have continued a dialogue with the games industry to address issues identified from the loot box call for evidence. We will publish the government’s response to the call for evidence in the coming months.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the BBC on the implications for (a) public health and (b) disinformation of the appearance of individuals who have espoused anti-covid-19-vaccine views on BBC television channels.

Julia Lopez: The BBC has a duty to deliver impartial and accurate news coverage and content under its Royal Charter. The BBC Charter also requires the BBC to ‘accurately and authentically represent and portray the lives of the people of the United Kingdom today, and raise awareness of the different cultures and alternative viewpoints that make up its society.’The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government, and the government has no say on the BBC's day-to-day decisions, including on the content it shows. It is for the BBC Board to ensure the quality of all BBC’s content, and that BBC output meets the highest standards the public expects.As the external independent regulator of the BBC, Ofcom is responsible for ensuring BBC coverage is impartial and accurate under the Broadcasting Code and BBC Charter.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what critical infrastructure her Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Julia Lopez: The Government Property Agency (GPA) acts as a landlord to government department clients, including Cabinet Office, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Education and others.I refer the hon. Member to PQ58831.GPA has started a Net Zero Offices Programme, which seeks to remove fossil fuel boilers (where they have reached end of economic life) and replace them with more environmental forms of heating such as use of air source heat pumps and, in the case of the Whitehall District Heating System, the utilisation of ground source heat pumps. The Net Zero Offices Programmes is seeking funding for its heat decarbonisation projects through applications to the Public Sector Decarbonisation scheme.

Entertainers: EU Countries

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with which EU member states the Government has conducted formal negotiations on reducing barriers to cultural touring since January 2021.

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of EU member states that enable touring UK musicians to work visa free in cultural touring in their territories for the full Schengen Area allowance of 90 in 180 days.

Julia Lopez: The Government has engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States about the importance of touring. From these discussions, 21 out of 27 Member States have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for performers for some short-term touring. More recently, following further discussions, and having sought evidence from industry, Bulgaria and Croatia have also confirmed that they offer visa and work permit free routes for some touring activity. Most of these Member States have confirmed that they offer visa and work permit free routes of at least 30 days, and many for up to 90 days, including important touring markets such as France, Germany and, following close work between our governments and industry, Spain.Discussions are ongoing with the remaining Member States to encourage them to make touring easier, including through ministerial discussions between the Minister of State for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure and the Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Greek Ambassador in December 2021.

Entertainers: EU Countries

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has undertaken (a) assessments, (b) projections, (c) estimates and (d) modelling of the effect of the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement on the (i) number and (ii) value of UK live cultural tours in EU member states.

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has undertaken (a) assessments, (b) projections, (c) estimates and (d) modelling of the effect of the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement on the ability of working class musicians to tour EU member states.

Julia Lopez: The Government understands that the cultural and creative sectors rely on the ability to move people across borders quickly, simply, and with minimal cost and administration. Touring is a vital part of musicians and performers’ careers, providing not only an important income stream, but also enriching opportunities for cultural exchange across the world. We recognise that there are changes in the way creative workers can work in the EU, and the sector will need to adapt to new requirements now the UK is no longer an EU Member State.This government engaged extensively with the sectors throughout negotiations and since the announcement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including through the DCMS-led touring working group, to hear views, understand the impact of new requirements, and to support working and touring in the EU. We know that British creatives want to tour in the EU, and venues and audiences in the EU want to host them. That is why we continue to work across government, in collaboration with the sector, and directly with Member States to support the creative and cultural industries to adapt to new arrangements and resume touring with confidence.

World Book Day

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the 25th anniversary of World Book Day.

Nigel Huddleston: We recognise the vital part that books, reading and public libraries play in the lives of so many people, and the pleasure they bring to people of all ages.DCMS is supporting World Book Day through organisations that are in receipt of public funds provided by the department. Arts Council England provided funding of £94,360 to World Book Day in January 2021, to deliver a multi-year project - ‘Growing reading for pleasure for children & young people 2021-2022’. The project finishes in August 2022 and includes support for this year’s World Book Day event on 3 March.In addition, Libraries Connected (the sector support organisation for libraries) has been encouraging public libraries to take part in the celebrations, to order publicity materials and to sign up and promote the £1 books. Libraries Connected is also highlighting World Book Day through its social media channels, website and other publicity, as will DCMS.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition: Schools

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what information she holds on the process that was used for the production of planned EHRC guidance for schools on how to support trans children over the past five years; and what plans the EHRC has to publish such guidance in the next year.

Kemi Badenoch: We recognise that appropriately supporting all children in schools can involve balancing complex and sensitive matters. The Government continues to work across departments and with the LGBT sector to better understand these issues and how best we can support schools. The Secretary of State for Education has recently written to the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission to accept her offer of advice as they determine their next steps in this area and other equalities issues for schools.The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the independent regulator for equality law and regularly issues guidance on areas of equality law that span across several sectors.It is not unusual for regulators and the Government to engage on relevant issues nor for Government departments to issue guidance relevant to their specific briefs. In this specific instance, that approach will enable Department for Education sectoral expertise, on safeguarding for example, to be taken fully into account in any next steps.

Attorney General

Economic Crime: Prosecutions

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions for criminal financial sanctions breaches the Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted in each of the last three years.

Alex Chalk: The CPS does not record or hold the requested data centrally on prosecutions for criminal financial sanctions breaches. The information could only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.